This page contains nostalgia and reflections on the History of Mackellar Girls Campus.
Reflection by Tracey Salter, class of 1981
In 1978, Miss Waterer reflecting upon her first year as Principal of Mackellar Girls, commented that Mackellar Girls High School was an ‘attractive civilised environment’ noting ‘the warmth and vitality of its students’ as ‘happy, friendly people who enjoy life, are sensitive to the needs of others and generous in their response to those needs’.
The attractive civilised environment of which Miss Waterer speaks (which was a model emulated by several schools in NSW), was to a 12 year old ‘new kid on the block’, a bewildering mix of buildings labelled Blocks A to E. It was necessary to know which was which if you were to make it to class on time! And it was also vital to know which area was your ‘space’. In First Form, as we were known in 1976, our area was the large asphalt space within the perimeter of the Blocks. It was part playground and part tanning salon with the smell of Baby oil and Reef oil commonplace during the summer months as girls lathered up long legs made longer by the short hemlines of pale blue checked uniforms.
First form comes they all arrive
All in their tunics ready to strive
They go through the year with their buttons done up
They’re real little goodies they never muck up
Routine breeds familiarity and class cohorts moved collectively between classrooms while experiencing a broad range of subjects that were expected to help make decisions about what future direction you were (supposedly) to take in life. This was the foundation of education at Mackellar but there were always other things to do. In our first year the Medieval Fair was our introduction to major school events which underscored that there was a role for every willing participant whether as part of the Grand Procession, a banquet, or as a tumbler or musician. I clearly remember there was Greek dancing, and to this day I am still not sure of the connection to Medieval times!
Large scale school events such as this typically occurred every few years. In 1979, Miss Londy’s Year 10 French class proposed a novel idea to convert the courtyard in Block E into a ‘sunny Paris avenue café’ called Café Bastille. Students were to be provided with ‘french expressions’ to test out their use of the language on parents and students. The concept of Café Bastille expanded exponentially into International Day- an extravaganza of food, national dances and songs with a French, German, Japanese and Indonesian flavour. Deputy Principal, Mrs Davies comment was recorded for posterity in the popular ‘teachers comments’ page of the School Magazine in 1979, ‘you know what happens when the Language Department puts something on in this school…’
In 1980, consistent with the theme of the Moscow Olympics, our own version of the Mini Olympics was held with what could only be described as an odd array of participating countries (most likely reflecting contemporaneous world events) – Ireland, East Germany, Greece, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and America (teachers). Our Year 11 (Iran) came last but only because Russia (Year 12) stole all of our gold medals. Competition was encouraged but always with good humour!
The year 1980 also marked our transition from junior school to senior school, a move which afforded privileges such as the Common Room and enhanced student/teacher relationships as partnerships in learning, mentors rather than authoritarians. But undoubtedly, the highlight of 1980 was the musical that was traditionally the domain of Year 11 students. Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat revealed hidden talents and created a common bond through a shared collective experience.
From 1976 to 1981, I experienced all that Mackellar Girls High School had to offer. I debated (mainly for the afternoon teas), ran ever so slowly through the bush at Cross Country Carnivals, got severely sunburnt while spending five days of life-saving instruction at Manly Pool, sang Christmas Carols as part of the choir at St Matthews Church in the Corso Manly each year (which I loved), and sang Gaudeamus Igitur (with gusto) and I Vow to thee My Country at each Speech Day.
I ate home-made toffees (you remember those ones that were in patty cake cases with hundreds and thousands on top), ate cakes from cake stalls and did not eat for the ‘40 hour Famine’. I performed in plays and musicals, danced at Fancy Dress fund-raisers and Formals, and made friendships that have endured. Miss Waterer’s words although written many years ago are a relevant commentary of my days at Mackellar Girls High School for they were filled with vitality, laughter and the warmth of both friends and teachers. They were the best of days.