The area as far south as the Bellinger River was served by Grafton High School. Beyond the Bellinger pupils could go to Kempsey High School. Even these high schools did not operate until about 1914. However, there had been private colleges at these centres for some time before the beginning of the century.

In 1917 promises of secondary classes were made to parents and about twenty-five pupils commenced that year what their parents hoped would be a high school course. All had qualified for secondary education at the Qualifying Certificate Examination. No teacher was appointed to take the classes and by the end of the year most of the pupils had drifted away. Nor was any teacher appointed for these classes in 1918 and several were sent by their parents to Grafton High School or to private colleges. (Professor Ralph G. Howarth of Capetown University was one of these pupils).

It appears from official records that some secondary classes were in operation in 1921 but the headmaster reported that "few children attended the secondary classes and he did not think that this could change because few parents could do without the help of their children after they reached school leaving age". At this time dairy farming was the main farming occupation and child labour, before the widespread introduction of milking machines, enabled the dairy farmer to carry on successfully.

The Chamber of Commerce, in particular, made applications for an Agricultural High School in the next year or so but as less than 30 pupils were available their requests were refused. As late as 1924, Mr Inspector Middleton reported "Coffs Harbour is not an agricultural centre, and it is my opinion that there will never be large super primary classes there".

In 1924 at the suggestion of the P&C Association and with their backing of £60 towards equipping a room for Cookery classes, it was agreed to combine the classes by appointing a part time teacher to Coffs Harbour and Dorrigo. However, the Chief Inspector decided that "owing to excessive cost" it was inadvisable to establish these classes. The main objection seems to have been the teacher's travelling expenses.

In the meantime, small classes of secondary pupils continued to attend the primary school. In 1927 a qualified manual teacher was appointed for three days a week at Coffs and two days at Bellingen. Bellingen then had 60 boys in classes 5th to 8th and Coffs had 94. Besides local children a number of children from down the line as far as Macksville had begun to attend the secondary classes at Coffs Harbour and when the numbers had built up, local classrooms were so overtaxed that some primary classes had to be sent out to other buildings to accommodate the secondary classes in the main Primary School building in High Street.

A full secondary course of instruction was not yet available and in 1928 the P&C Association was able to point out that while languages were well catered for no teacher had been appointed to teach science. The local inspector of schools pointed out that it was not satisfactory to teach science in an ordinary classroom.

Interest in secondary education increased in the next year or so. The number of pupils from Macksville and intervening schools increased and the local district population so grew that a larger number of post primary pupils were coming forward to build up the secondary classes from the local district. New rooms were added but still it was necessary to hire outside rooms to accommodate the increasing numbers.

The District School, so raised in status in 1928, had 269 pupils in the primary departments and 94 in the secondary. The Headmaster, Mr Tonkin, applied to have the school raised in status to an intermediate high school but the official comment was that "it can well wait for another year", the reason, no doubt, being that the school had only been established for a year as a District school and the change of status would have involved many transfers and consequent expense.

In 1930 the school was made an intermediate high school with restricted courses available. It was not until late in the year that a science room was approved. Secondary pupils had now reached 122 in number and with a rapid growth of town population the school accommodation was soon overtaxed. Strong protests came from the P&C Association and Chamber of Commerce. By now the effects of the depression were being felt by the State Treasury and no money was available to build school rooms.

By 1934 the population of the district had doubled from that of the time when secondary classes had become really important (1926) and as accommodation at the present primary school site had become unduly overcrowded it was suggested that a separate building for secondary pupils be built. 208 secondary pupils were now enrolled.

As more than half of the pupils came by train and had to travel from the railway station to the school nearly a mile away it was thought desirable to establish the proposed school near the railway station. The Department owned part of the present High School site and had an infants school building of two classrooms in operation. This building was removed and plans made for a high school building. The tender of £26,988 was accepted and the new building was occupied immediately it was completed in 1938 by 192 pupils of whom about 100 arrived by train.

In the public examinations at the end of the year, eight students gained their Leaving Certificates, while 36 students were successful in the Intermediate Certificate.

I was born in 1927 and my father was a businessman who delivered butter to the Jetty Village. I remember the old house on the corner of Collingwood and Camperdown Sts. It was a divided dwelling with the Lovett family living close together with only a dividing wall separating us.

 In the early thirties I attended the kindergarten which was on the site where the high school now stands. It was moved to the primary school at Top Town near Beresford Park. It is still used as a classroom.

 The Foundation stone for the High School was laid in 1937 – it is still visible- and the building was completed and opened to Secondary classes in 1938. The official opening was January 1939.

 My recollection of the teachers who taught at the school in that period are:

Mr Nylan, Mr Allan (metalwork), Mr Macdowell (Woodwork), Mr and Mrs Gorrell, Mr Goldy, Miss Norrel, Mr Eather, Miss Morris (music), Mr Bob Harris and Mr Maxwell.

 Each morning we would be paraded in front of the school and saluted the Australian flag. The Principal, Mr Hodge, was an ex first world war one veteran and very patriotic. He formed the first School Cadet company.

 We (the pupils) had a correctness of dress and a respect for our teachers and to each other. The strict rules of conduct were carried out by all.

 Sport functions included swimming, cricket, athletics, football.

 It was a great school and I am proud to have attended it.

 William John Nelson.

An interview with Bill by students in the 2008 Year 7 History Enrichment class is being prepared and will be published in due course.

Paul Ausling

Having been born in nearby Dorrigo in 1940 I became aware of the attractions of the township of Coffs Harbour from my earliest years. My initiation day of schooling was at Sawtell Public, followed by enrolment at Bonville Public for one year in 1947. Even then I thought my destiny was to become a school teacher but like all others had no idea where that career path would take me. My sister spent two years enrolled at the ten-years-old Coffs High, but at year’s end lack of work for our family took us back to live in Dorrigo.

At that time Coffs High was one of only half a dozen high schools on the whole North Coast of NSW. From Dorrigo I was fortunate enough to be bundled off to boarding school at Tamworth for my high school years where I learned never to become a farmer, at Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School, a public selective school. Farrer brick classrooms were identical buildings to Coffs High, built in 1939.

Instead of farming I trained as a primary school teacher in Armidale. The next 7 years I taught in two one-teacher small schools, followed by 5 years in the Secondary department of a Rural school as a Mathematics teacher, then on to 2 years at a full high school in Dubbo.

Then I won the (teaching) lottery.

I was offered a position on the Maths staff at Coffs Harbour High. It seemed irrelevant that it was necessary I finish with a class on the Friday afternoon in Dubbo and begin duties at Coffs the following Monday morning. I grabbed the chance with glee.

On that August Monday in 1973 not only did my work day now have sea views out so many windows for the first time but I was now part of the most efficient school I had encountered. Pride and professionalism exuded through the whole place. The staff showed it and so did the students.

Those teenagers were as well-trained, self-disciplined and as courteous and respectful as any top students I had taught. It seems ironic but I think it is possible that overcrowding in the school contributed to that. As testimony, consider this; classes on the High St (Harbour Drive) side of the school had to endure months of deafening noise as laden sand trucks had to change gear as they climbed the hill passing the school. Teachers could stop mid-sentence, wait till the truck passed and then complete the sentence, without any student batting an eye. Their patience was a delight to behold.

Coffs High already had earned its high reputation by then. Pupil results were tops at the Higher School Certificate level and parents wanted their child enrolled there. Those parents included many professionals who had settled in Coffs Harbour; doctors, lawyers, accountants, teachers and the like. Not only did many of those students follow a career in their parents footsteps but returned to Coffs after further education to become solid citizens, contributing to the progress of its growth to city status. The school prepared its students well. No private high school alternative was needed or could have done better.

Those were the days when teachers were expected to dress as professionals (even if it was only neckties for men, with long socks and shorts allowed), and they set high school uniform standards for their charges as well. One principal and one deputy, with limited ancillary staff, did well to handle such large numbers in a school. So many portable classrooms filled the limited space. To add to this the building of a new library and school hall in the middle of the playground made the place look like a disaster zone at times.

Staff rooms were a hive of productivity, with little or no time for social dalliance, as were corridors at necessary change-over, heavily supervised by the large staff. For a student to be placed outside a classroom for disrupting class harmony was seriously frowned upon and brought the wrath of a patrolling deputy. School assemblies were huge and always an exercise in people control. Weekend sporting carnivals up and down the coast were part of the sporting calendar and it was not uncommon for staff to have to compete or show years of patience to win the right to become a coach of one of those teams.

There were nearly 100 staff members. Pupil numbers were in decline as Orara High had recently opened but was still well over 1200. Classes were large, anything up to 40 pupils. I particularly remember Year 10, the 16 year-olds, still had two full streams, a total of ten classes. I was allocated a 10M5, supposedly a bottom class in the year. I was astounded at the knowledge of that class, plus their positive attitude and application.

I have never regretted making the choice to move to Coffs High and believe my 14 years there were the most fruitful of my teaching career. Other decades have their own input to the school’s history, but I believe the seventies were unique and I am pleased I was part of it. Now, like so many, many other staff, my wife (also an ex-teacher there) and I, chose to not leave the beautiful Coffs Harbour area when it came our time to retire

Merv Pitman

April 2008

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I arrived at C.H.H.S. in 1979 together with seven other new teachers including Mrs Sercombe, after four years of teaching in western Sydney. There I was thought of as an experienced teacher, but I soon realised that I was very junior in Coffs where many had already served ten or more years.

The Mathematics Department had moved the year before from down near the P.O. to the new block together with the Industrial Arts Department (now T.A.S.). What a wonderful idea to put us near each other!  I loved the copper work lessons and the leather work, lots of banging noise. The new Hall had also been finished with the old Hall converted into the new Library. It was very modern with those primary colours of red, green and yellow.

 In my corner of the school I was the only female. The Textiles teacher Mrs Gillian Simpson visited the Textile room and Miss Helen Miller went as far as food Lab 2, but the other eight Maths teachers were all male and the I.A. staff of five also male. My home room was an old wooden demountable beside Mrs R.Elks near the Art rooms. The school was very full with 13 first year classes. Half of which moved to start in Year8 at Toormina High in 1980.

During my 28 years at C.H.H.S. there have been five Principals and seven Deputies. The school’s population has decreased from 1100 to almost 650 then up to 1000 and has settled around the 900 mark where we are today. By reputation the staff at C.H.H.S. came and stayed- no-one moved on, well after 28years only four staff are left who were here when I arrived. Can you guess who they are?

 Several new high schools have been developed in and around Coffs. Toormina in 1980,of course. Then Woolgoolga which had been a central school for many years, but any student who wanted to complete their H.S.C. usually came into Coffs for Years 11 and 12. Independent schools such as J.P.C., Christian Community and B.D.C. have also started up. And of course the Senior College for years11 and 12.

I was very pleased to welcome Mrs Melville in 1987. (She joined Mrs Austen’s and my carpool very soon after she arrived and we have continued for 20 years.) Mrs Stenning arrived in1989 then Mrs Dowler and Mrs Lampe in later years. NOW the females have the majority in the Mathematics Department.

The Education Minister visited the school in 1986. He was very intrigued by the female student and the female teacher in 4 unit Mathematics. The other half of the class was escorting the Minister around as male school captain.

I have had many highlights during my school career and just like the students they include some of my excursions out of the school. In 1985 the Girl’s Tennis team made the state final 16 in Wellington. Mrs Pitman couldn’t take them, so we hired a car and I drove them to and from the carnival. We didn’t win but we enjoyed ourselves. I have many great memories of the peer support training at H.M.A.S. Vendetta and the subsequent peer support camps at Valla. Several Year 10 trips to Canberra, a Biology trip to Mt Seaview with Mr Davidson’s Year 11 and an A.S.S.P. trip to the Sunshine Coast.

Looking Back with 20/20 Vision

"Do you realize I've been teaching here in room 20 for the past 20 years?" This question has brought looks of amazement, and in many cases shock horror, to many faces as I've expounded this to my classes this year. Maybe I've been trying to convince myself that it's time to move on to the next phase of my life ‑but most of those to whom I've revealed this fact couldn't possibly imagine how or indeed why anyone would cope with doing so much Maths ‑ YUK! Beyond comprehension!

And what of those 3000 or more students who've come and gone from room 20 in that time?

Well of course I can't claim to remember all their names, although many I will surely carry with me for a very long time ‑ for a variety of reasons!!!

Coffs High has been a great school to work in for me personally. Over the years I've found that the more I've been involved, the more enjoyable my work has been. Sometimes I feel that as a Maths teacher, I find it difficult to think outside the square (we mathematicians are so often considered narrow‑minded, black and white ... !?) but my experiences have been anything but narrow.

In 2002 I was so very fortunate to be one of the teachers leading a group of CHHS students on a month‑long language immersion exchange to France. We were a group of 20 in total. This was an awesome experience and one which has left me with a lifetime of wonderful memories and some great French connections!! Being interviewed on French television news was certainly a challenge (I've not much idea what I said and doubt that it made much sense!), and being 'mum' to 17 homesick teenagers also had its moments, but for those who think Heron Island or Meabunbia is the best excursion... eat your heart out! Now you might ask how it was that two Maths teachers came to be on a language exchange ‑ well Mr Morris and I just happen to share the same love of France, its language and its culture. It also helps that we both speak a little French!

For the past 9 years I have been privileged to hold the position of Prefect Coordinator at the school. Again this has given me the opportunity to work closely with some wonderful young people. Our annual treks to Sydney to attend the National Young leaders Days have been truly inspirational to say the least.

So it is with mixed feelings that I am now moving on and turning my vision to the future ‑ time to do some more exploring while I still have the energy to do it. And as some of my students this year have so often kept telling me .... “On ya bike!!!”

Mrs Sue Melville

Mathematics Staff

CHHS 1987‑2006