Speech day and prize-giving, 16 December 1908

The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 December 1908 p 11:

SPEECH DAYS.

BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL.

THE GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS.

The annual speech day and 25th anniversary of the Boys’ Public High School, Ultimo, was celebrated at the school yesterday.

The State Governor, Sir Harry Rawson presided, and amongst those present were:--Mr. G. H. Reid, M.P., Mr. P. Board (Under Secretary for Education), Dr. Morris (Chief Examiner), and Mr. John Waterhouse (Headmaster).

Mr. J. A. Hogue, Minister for Public Instruction, wrote, regretting his inability to attend owing to the fact that Parliament was sitting.

Mr. Waterhouse delivered his annual report, and said that I was now 25 years since the opening of the Sydney Boys' High School. The past year had been one of brilliant successes, the school having carried off the highest honours at the senior and junior examinations. The Hawkesbury College scholarship, awarded by the “Sydney Morning Herald” and “Sydney Mail” was gained by one of the members of the school—Arthur Donan. He was pleased to say that an ex-High School boy had carried off the dux of the Hawkesbury College. The physical training of the pupils had been attended to during the year and deep breathing exercises were indulged in by the boys. He was satisfied with the benefits of such a course, and was hopeful that in the near future such work would form part of their regular curriculum.

The Daily Telegraph, 17 December 1908 p 3:

Mr. J. Waterhouse … said that it seemed to him to be a serious mistake that the military authorities did not give the senior cadets the encouragement they deserved. He was strongly of opinion that all the expenditure should be defrayed by the military authorities. When his boys wished to go into camp at the beginning of the week they had to buy their own enamelled mugs aud plates. The military authorities had not a sufficient stock. Encouragement should he given to boys to join these corps or companies. Permission should he given to form as many companies at a school as could be arranged. He had been informed by an officer that if they wished to raise a second company they would not be allowed to do so. Cadets should be provided without delay with suitable rifles and accoutrements. He regretted to state that although they only had a small portion of their cadets forming the guard of honor that day, they could not provide all those with even belts. He thought that senior cadets, upon leaving school, in the event of their joining a volunteer regiment, should be permitted to remain in their old company for the purpose of rifle shooting for 18 months or two years.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 December 1908 p 11: 

Sir Harry Rawson said he thought the report they have just heard was most satisfactory, and he congratulated the school immensely on its success. A lot of the boys present were forming opinions as to what they were going to do in life. They should take up whatever they decide upon thoroughly, and they would come out on top. If they did not they would come very near the top. During the 52 years he had travelled about he had not visited a country he would sooner live in than Australia. A duty which he wanted them to treat as a trust was their right in after life to vote. He did not care how they voted, but they should let nothing interfere with them when giving it, as it was a trust which made them responsible for the government of their country—the country, he was sure, they were all proud of.

The Daily Telegraph, 17 December 1908 p 3: 

Sir Harry Rawson said that he was very sorry to hear that there was not going to be a second senior company. What Australia needed, he continued, and England as well, was that every boy should he taught and brought up to be a useful member of the community by joining the volunteers. This also gave them discipline and active obedience, which formed the character of the future men. The character formed in schools was a great asset. He was very glad to hear about the rifle shooting, and he hoped that they would send a team next year to compete for the challenge cup which he had given, and which was now held by Newington College. Newington had got two cups out of him, so he would like to see one taken from them.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 December 1908 p 11: 

Sir Harry concluded by wishing the pupils the compliments of the festive season and informed them that the Minister for Public Instruction had decided to give the High School an extra week’s holiday on the occasion of the Governor being present to distribute the prizes.

His Excellency then distributed the prizes to the successful pupils.

Mr. G. H. Reid in addressing those present, said that 25 years ago he was present at the opening of the Public High School for Boys and Girls in the old building in Castlereagh street. He always felt proud of the fact that he was the Minister for Public Instruction in the Government which established these high schools in NSW.

The Daily Telegraph, 17 December 1908 p 3: 

Mr. G. H. Reid said that he was impressed by the appearance of the guard of honor, but he noticed that whilst they looked very smart and manly some of them had no belts. Some people could not wear belts, Mr. Reid added, amid laughter, in which his Excellency joined. He (Mr. Reid) saw no reason why any of the boys should not wear belts. He was sorry to learn that the resources of our great Federal Department for Australian Defence was not equal to the strain of supplying belts to the cadets. When they went into camp there was another sudden strain on the department, and they found, as they always did, that they had to supply their own mugs. That, however, was not a serious drawback. He could not help saying that it was not so great to think about supplying belts as it was to think of supplying a torpedo fleet. As his Excellency know better than anyone in Australia, the defence system would never be any good at all unless all the practical details were attended to. His Excellency might not have won a prize at school, but he had won a great many in the battle of life. (Applause.) The British navy of to-day owed its marvellous strength and fame, and all the subjects of King Edward scattered all over the surface of the globe — 160,000,000 human beings — owed their safety to the simple fact that from the biggest gun on the mammoth battleships down to the smallest detail in the most obscure part of the ship, there was nothing wanting. What was wanted was efficiency for active service at any given moment. (Applause.)

He hoped that the Government would be able to stand the financial strain of giving them a second cadet corps. He took the matter up because that was one of the schools in Australia in which every boy ought to wear the uniform of his country. (Applause.) The boys were full of fire and enthusiasm and patriotism, and the path onward towards manhood should be walked in the uniform they had worn at school. They had bright, and clever pupils, but there was one lesson that seemed hardest to learn, and that was discipline. They could not be better taught those virtues than in the cadet corps. He would like to see the rudiments of military training taught in all the public schools. (Applause.)

The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 December 1908 p 11: 

Three cheers were given for the Girls High School to which his Excellency then proceeded to distribute the prizes there.

After the Governor's departure a donation of books, to form a reference library, was made to the school in connection with the Coates Memorial Fund, which had been provided by old boys of the school as an expression of the esteem in which the late Mr. Joseph Coates, late headmaster of the school, was held. The presentation was made by Mr. A. B. Piddington, B.A., a former master at the school.

Mr G C Saxby, president of the Old Boys' Union also presented the popularity prizes to A. C. Todd and C. R. Bourne on behalf of the Old Boys’ Union.

See also: The Australian Star, 17 December 1908 p 6; and The Daily Telegraph, 17 December 1908 p 9.