1960s

1968-1969:

Killara High School students ‘boarded’ at Turramurra High School during 1968 and 1969 while our school was being built:

Students wore separate uniforms and were in separate classes.

1968:

In 1968, the KHS girls’ uniform was describes as follows:

“The design of our girls’ summer uniform is an A-line frock made of Gordon tartan material with a yellow tie-trim at the neck; and during the winter months the girls shall wear a Gordon tartan kilt and bone blouse. The jacket, jumper, tam-o-shanter and gloves are bottle green, accompanied by white socks and black shoes. The Gordon Tartan is an individual Scottish Tartan and gains its distinctiveness by the inclusion of a fine yellow line which is woven into the warp and weft at regular intervals.” [Written by the Publicity Officer, KHS Parents & Citizens Association, April 1968]

The official date for the changeover to winter uniform was Friday 26th April, 1968.

In 1968, the department store, Grace Bros., had donated a school flag for KHS. It had a green background with a gold edging and gold lettering, entitled, ‘Killara High School’. The P&C were hoping at that time, that very soon the flag would be flying with the Turramurra High School flag.

In 1968, The P&C Association meeting was held in June, in the Reading Room at Turramurra HS.

In 1968, the Ladies’ Auxiliary organised a Bessemer luncheon in May. [Bessemer is an Australian owned company that has been operating since the early 1960’s] Bessemer ware was displayed – ‘truly functional and lovely and well worth seeing’. The luncheon was held at the home of the President of the Ladies’ Auxiliary at Lindfield.

In 1968, while KHS was being built in 1968 and KHS students were being boarded at Turramurra HS, the P&C Association sent letters to various businesses asking them if they would like to contribute a monthly newsletter. The newsletters were for families of KHS students at Turramurra HS. They were told that if there was sufficient number of advertisers to support the newsletter, a printing company would not charge for the P&C Association to print the issues. The cost for an advertiser was $1.00 per issues for a circulation of 300-400 (or less). There was plans for approximately ten issues per year. Advertisers were encouraged to contribute to the newsletters, as the school was made up of pupils living mainly in East Lindfield, Lindfield, West Lindfield, Killara and Gordon areas.

Some of the businesses corresponded to, were:

• The Killara Nursery
• A dispensing chemist
• A ladies hairdresser
• ‘The shoe shop’
• A cake shop
• A butcher
• A tennis school
• Department Store – Grace Bros. Pty. Ltd, Chatswood

“Scottish clans united recently when uniforms for the new Killara East High School were chosen. Clansmen forgot their differing traditions and decided the Gordon Tartan would be represented at the school.

Killara East High School is expected to open early next year. It’s first 100 pupils are ‘boarding’ at Turramurra High School this year. 

Their parents met recently to decide the school’s new uniform. They chose a summer uniform of Gordon Tartan material for the girls, a bottle green jacket and a ‘tam-o-shanter’.

Gordon tartan

Boys will wear a Gordon Tartan tie with white short and mid-grey trousers and bottle-green Bermuda blazer.

The Gordon Tartan was chosen because many of the new school’s pupils will come from the Gordon area. Clans represented at the meeting including the Campbells, Gordons and MacIntoshs. They all voted unanimously in favour of the Gordon colours.

Department of Public Works will begin the first stage of the new school within three months. The buildings will be constructed in an area of about eight acres in Koola Avenue East Killara, opposite the Rugby Union oval.

More than 100 first formers, who will comprise the school’s first pupils, are guests at Turramurra High School this year.

Students

Students at Killara East will come from many primary schools in the area including Roseville, Lindfield, Killara, Gordon and Artarmon.

A meeting recently to discuss formation of the school was chaired by North Sydney directorate secondary inspector Mr C. T. Grout-Smith.

A committee to design the school uniforms was formed from this parent group… [small extract missing here]

Inaugural meetings of the Killara east provisional Parents and Citizens Association were held during February. Dr B. Patten was elected President of the Association, secretary is Mr R.A. Carter, and treasurer is Mr P. Erber. Women’s Auxiliary President is Mrs B. Goldring, secretary, Mrs J. Sacchs and treasurer Mrs Arblaster. The auxiliary’s committee of seven is planning a number of fund-raising functions this year.

Parents expect the school to open for the first term next year.”

[Below is the original typed transcript sent to The North Shore Times, 14th March 1968]

“1968 sees the inception of yet another new High School for the North Shore. Within the course of the next three to four months, the Department of Public Works on behalf of the Education Department plans to commence Stage I of this new High School, which will be built to modern standards and design, and will incorporate every facility which will permits it students to pursue their secondary education to the highest level.

These buildings will be erected amidst an area of approximately eight acres in Koola Avenue, East Killara – opposite the Rugby Union Oval – and scheduled for competition at the beginning of the 1969 school year.”

1969:

At the November 1969 P&C General Meeting of the KHS P&C Association in held at Turramurra HS, the Acting President,  advised that the Constitution of the Killara High School P&C Association had been forwarded to the Department of Education, and they were were waiting for a reply.

At the same P&C meeting in 1969, it was documented “a photo of the new school buildings would be sent to The North Shore Times with a report informing them of the progress of the building work.”

Also at the same P&C meeting in 1969, it was documented that the President of the KHS P&C and another P&C representative had met the architect on the site. They had discussed broadly the questions of landscaping the grounds. It was decided to defer the decision on the placing of large rock pieces held in reserve until all earth moving had been carried out. Also, a planting plan had been prepared by the Department and was available at the Builders offices at the school.”

Further to this, the Principal of Turramurra High School reported the following items:

• Pupil reports were being prepared.
• Speech Day would be generally as is for Turramurra HS, with prize-giving kept to a minimum. There would be only one Academic Prize, which would go to a student in the senior year. There would be also one Citizenship Trophy, which would go to any student. Both of these prizes would consist of book prizes to the value of about $10. There would be an award to the outstanding student in each form, in the form of a Certificate of Merit.
• Similar Certificates would be awarded to the children who topped each subject in both forms. Pupils who did not gain first places in subjects, but who had shown great keenness would get special Certificates for Diligence in particular subjects.
• Sports Prizes: the meeting approved the Principal’s proposal to award sports trophies on the same basis as those awarded to Turramurra pupils; also to the award of the embroidered ‘flashes’ for pupils representing their school at State level, to be worn on the pock of the school blazer.

Towards the end of 1969, a Canteen Committee was formed, and arrangements were made for the commencement of canteen operations at the beginning of the First Term, 1970.

In 1969, the sum of $1,999.00 was raised by the P&C Association, making the total assets for moving into the new school site, $2,389.00.