Speech day and prize-giving, 19 December 1907

The Daily Telegraph, 20 December 1907 p 5:

THE SCHOOLS.

BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL.

Mr. J. A.Hogue, Minister for Public Instruction,  and a galaxy of educational talent, invaded the Boys' High School, Ultimo, yesterday, to take part in the annual prize-giving.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 December 1907 p 10:

among those on the platform were Mr. P. Board (Under-Secretary for education), Chief Inspector Dawson, Dr Morris, Mr. J. W. Turner (Director of Technical Education), Senior Inspector Parkinson, Inspector Blumer, and the Consul General for Germany. The hall was crowded, and great enthusiasm was displayed

The Daily Telegraph, 20 December 1907 p 5: 

There was also a large attendance of parents and friends of the pupils.

The report of the headmaster (Mr. Waterhouse) set out that the work of the school had gone on steadily and consistently throughout the year, although it had been interfered with by a series of epidemics, the principal of these being influenza. The fashionable epidemic of appendicitis had also made its appearance. Pleasure was expressed that the school enjoyed the unique record of carrying off the University medal for algebra for the seventh year in succession, the credit of which belonged to Mr. Saxby. The headmaster had sought to impress upon the lads the necessity of being prepared to defend both hearth and home. Forty names had been handed in as expressing their willingness to be enrolled as members of the senior cadet corps. Thirty-nine boys passed the junior examination last June, and of these 27 also qualified for matriculation in Division A. Eleven candidates were sent up for the senior examination, 10 of them gaining the matriculation. The school had taken part in competitive examinations, and had in all of them come to the front. (Applause.)

Mr. Hogue referred to the pleasure and satisfaction it afforded him to hear of the grand record achieved by the school. The boys present would grow up to be the men by and bye, and would then be called upon to exercise the franchise. Some of the lads at school might in a few years be voting for some of their fellows, who would, perhaps, aspire to be members of Parliament. And so he intended to ask them to vote on a question which would interest them. They were about to enter upon their five weeks' holiday. “Now, hands up.” he said, "all those who are in favor of an extra week.” Mr. Hogue fairly gasped as a forest of hands shot upwards, and a roar of laughter rolled round the room. There were none against the proposition. The Minister, after congratulating the boys upon their unanimity, proceeded to refer to the progress made by the school since its establishment.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 December 1907 p 10:

It had been in operation since 1883, when it was opened in premises in Castlereagh-street. In 1892 it was removed to the present building, and from information which had been laid before him by the officers of his department it seemed that they would require another removal before they could cope with the increasing demand for accommodation. (Applause. ) It was interesting to note that when the school was first opened it had 46 pupils, while last year there was an average daily attendance of 228.8. He paid a high tribute to the first principal (Mr. Joseph Coates), as well as to his successor (Mr. Waterhouse), who, with his highly qualified staff, had brought about the splendid results as shown in the examinations.

The Daily Telegraph, 20 December 1907 p 5:

He also had something to say of the grand system of education that prevailed in the State, and one winch we ought all to be proud of. (Applause.) It was, he ventured to say, without fear of contradiction, the most progressive system in the world. The advances in educational matters in this country during the last three years were greater than at any stage of the State’s history. The people, he was glad to say, always recollected with satisfaction the name of Sir Henry Parkes, whose foresight had made provision in the Act for the higher branches of education. He could see that a certain percentage of the young fellows present would be going out of school, as others had done at this period of the year. They were going to fight the battles of life, and would go out with the consciousness that they had spent the best parts of their lives in building up character in one of the finest schools in the country. (Loud applause.) The boy who went out into the world with a good education went out with a good start of the boy who began life’s struggles without it. Mr. Hogue complimented the teachers on the excellence of their work, as shown by the report. (Loud applause.)

The presentation of prizes was an interesting ceremony, the more successful of the boys, and especially one who had gone through a trying illness of appendicitis, being loudly applauded by their schoolmates when they approached the platform to receive their rewards.

Cheers were given for the King, the Minister for Public Instruction, and the teachers.

The principal prize winners were:—

Barker Scholarship, No. 2, and Horner Exhibition for Mathematics: W. R. Brown.

Junior Medals: Physics, C. Blumer; algebra, prox. acc., C. A. Bourne and P. Davis; English, C. A. Bourne; prox. acc., W. B. Brown; French, A. Bulteau; geometry, E. A. Moore. Out of 11 passes in the senior, 10 obtained matriculation honors, and nine qualified for entrance to the engineering school, the highest pass obtainable.

Medals for senior exams, arithmetic and algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and mechanics, were awarded to W. R. Brown.

French and German Scholarships: S. J. Blumer; headmaster's prize (senior), W. R. Brown; headmaster’s prize (junior), C. A. Bourne; Freemason's Scholarship, S. Blumer.

Numerous prizes were given for proficiency in sports.

Cootamundra Herald, 21 December 1907 p 2:

School Honours.

Young Bert Southee … has come home for Christmas loaded with honours and prizes. Among the latter the following are a highly complimentary recognition of his worth :—

Champion athlete, silver cup, presented by Girls' High School, inscribed as follows: —

“Boys' High School, Sydney, presented by the Girl’s High School, won by E. A. Southee, 1907.”

...

Championship, 100 yards, Morocco dressing case.

220 yards handicap, silver salts and spoons in case.

Long jump, Morocco pocket book

Kicking the football, pair of silver knife rests.

Novelty race, silver cream jug

Second in high jump, razor

Others are: — “History of our own Time,” by Justin McCarthy; Palgrave's “Golden Treasury,” and “Red Russia,” by John Foster Fraser.

The inscription in one of the books was :—

“Sydney Public High school. This prize, presented by the Sydney High School Old Boys' Union to the most popular boy in the school during the year 1907, was awarded on the voting of his school fellows to Ethelbert A. Southee. Not necessarily first in scholarship, not necessarily first in athletic exercises; but certainly first in the hearts of his fellows.— C. Mathews Drew, President.”