The Armidale School

The Armidale School was founded in 1894 as a boarding school primarily for the sons of the gentry,[6] however the origins of the school can be traced to 1838, when Patrick Grant, a magistrate at Maitland, conceived the idea of a proprietary school for boys in the Hunter Valley.[4] This idea was taken over by prominent members of the Church of England in the northern districts of New South Wales, and 500 pounds was obtained from the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, as a result of the efforts of the first (and only) Bishop of Australia, William Grant Broughton. In 1840, a site for the school was purchased at Honeysuckle Point, in Newcastle.[4] Nothing more came of the plan until the appointment of William Tyrrell, as the first Bishop of Newcastle in 1846. The property was passed on to Tyrrell, and in 1854 the land was resumed by the Hunter River Railway Company.[4]

By 1877, the school had still not been established, and Bishop Tyrrell began to push the matter further. Subsequently, a plan was drawn up and land selected at Blandford, near Murrurundi. In 1881, it was determined that the plan to build the school at Blandford was unaffordable, and a suggestion was made that it should be built on the New England Tablelands at Armidale. The additional capital required, to the amount of 6,000 pounds, was raised by James Ross, Archdeacon of Armidale, and his leading laymen.[4]

On 5 June 1891, The New England Proprietary School Limited (NEPS) was incorporated with 100 pound shares, offered at 50 pounds each, allowing each shareholder to nominate one pupil for each share purchased. The Directors purchased 20 acres (8 ha) in Armidale in September 1891, adding to the 10 acres (4 ha) obtained in 1889. The foundation stone of the main building, designed by noted architect Sir John Sulman, was laid on 22 February 1893, by the Governor of New South Wales, the Rt. Hon. Victor Albert George, Earl of Jersey. The Opening Ceremony was performed by the Rt. Rev Arthur Vincent Green, Bishop of Grafton and Armidale on 15 May 1894.[4]

The name of the company and School was changed in 1896 to The Armidale School (TAS). Also that year, TAS joined the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales (GPS) in Sydney, and has remained a member ever since.[4]

In 1950, the school site was transferred to the Trustees of the Church of England Diocese of Armidale, and was administered by a School Council comprising members from the Diocese, Old Boys' Union and P&F.[4] through to 2009.

On 1 January 2010 the school was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee under the Corporations Act with the name: The Armidale School.

In March 2015, the school announced it would commence full co-education, and began taking enrolments for Year 12 students, who would begin tuition in October 2015, and for Year 6-11 students, to begin tuition in 2016.[12] This expanded upon an already co-educational Junior School, and was announced following a nine-week consultation process.[13] The school started 2016 with 53 girls, including 14 boarders.[14] By the start of 2022, girl enrolments accounted for around 40 percent of total enrolments.

TAS admitted its first senior girls in late 2015 ahead of full co-education the year after.

Napier Waller historian Dr Bronwyn Hughes inspects the Memorial Windows in the TAS Assembly Hall.

The Armidale School is situated on a single 18 hectares (44 acres) campus in Armidale, a university city on the New England Tablelands of New South Wales, midway between Sydney and Brisbane.[6] The school features a mix of historic and modern buildings, all of which reflect design elements of the outstanding original building designed by noted architect Sir John Sulman in 1892. Other notable buildings are the 1902 Chapel, designed by Cyril Blacket, and the War Memorial Assembly Hall, which features three magnificent stained glass windows designed by Napier Waller.

The facilities of the school include the Michael Hoskins Creative Arts Centre, which incorporates a 240-seat performing arts theatre, drama classrooms and visual arts studios. The centre is used by various local and visiting performing arts organisations including as the 'home' of the Armidale Drama & Music Society. Other facilities include a heated indoor swimming pool, rifle range, cattle stud, chapel, gymnasium, library, music centre, computer rooms,[11] climbing wall, weights room, an indoor cricket centre, several indoor and outdoor basketball courts, seven tennis courts, rugby and soccer fields, and cricket wickets.

TAS dormitory, 1898

Co-curricular activities available to TAS students include: Debating and public speaking, drama, band, orchestra, choirs, art, photography, Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, and a school Poll Hereford stud which exhibits cattle at local and regional agricultural shows.[11] Annual theatrical productions are staged in the School's Hoskins Centre theatre; previous productions include The Addams Family (2018), Oliver! (2019), Wizard of Oz (2019), Sweeney Todd (2020), Rhinoceros (2022) and Legally Blonde (2023).[16]

Sport

TAS 1st XI Cricket Team, 1895

The Armidale School is one of the nine members of the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales (GPS)[10] and participates in some GPS sporting competitions as well as several non-GPS or traditional sports. TAS students may participate in a variety of sports including: athletics, basketball, canoeing, cricket, cross country, hockey, mountain biking, netball, rugby union, rifle shooting, soccer, squash, rowing, swimming, tennis, triathlon, volleyball and water polo.

In April each year, the school hosts more than 40 school and club teams at the TAS Rugby Carnival, the largest primary-aged rugby carnival in Australia.

The school also holds a swimming carnival and an athletics carnival once a year, with students participating in inter-house competition. Boarding students compete for either Abbott, Croft or Tyrrell house, while day students are members of Broughton, Green or Ross houses. Broughton was originally a boarding house; Green and Ross were inaugurated in 1983 by Prince Edward, during a private visit to the school. Inter-house competitions are also held for debating, public speaking, and the creative arts.

Prince Edward inaugurates the first Day Houses, Green and Ross, during a private visit to the school in 1983. The captains are wearing the Norfolk Jacket, the school's formal uniform at the time.

The Armidale School has a leadership, service and adventure program which has an emphasis on outdoor education and is designed to develop a sense of responsibility and self-confidence through activities such as abseiling, whitewater kayaking and bivouacs. Outdoor education activities in which students may participate in, include the following:

Surf Life Saving

Surf life saving commenced at TAS in 1967, as a service component for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme introduced at the school earlier that year. For the first few years, the boys did their training at Nambucca Heads, and during the 1990s, with Yamba SLSC. Currently the relationship is with Sawtell SLSC,[18] where students spend several days during the year and then an intensive week of training and assessment in November. Students are instructed in inshore boat rescue - crewing, patient pick-ups and assessment, related signals, radio, equipment and safety; first aid - CPR; board rescues, tube rescues, patient care, patient carries, etc. This program culminates in an examination for their RLSSA Surf Life Saving Bronze Medallion.

TAS students undertake Surf Life Saving qualifications in conjunction with Sawtell Surf Life Saving Club.

TAS is a member of Round Square,[19] an international organisation of more than 200 schools worldwide which subscribes to the philosophy of Kurt Hahn (1886–1974), a renowned educationalist, who founded the idea of experiential education through such initiatives as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and Outward Bound. The philosophy is based on five pillars or IDEALS: Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service. The Round Square network affords member schools the opportunity to arrange local and international student and teacher exchanges on a regular basis between their schools. Students and staff also have the opportunity to participate in local and international community service projects and conferences.

Alumnus of The Armidale School are referred to generally as Old Armidalians, Old Boys or Old Girls (following the introduction of co-education in 2015) and may elect to join the schools' alumni association, the Old Armidalians' Union (formerly TAS Old Boys' Union).[20] Some notable Old Armidalians include:

Rhodes scholar

• Robert Clarence Robertson-Cuninghame – later Chancellor of the University of New England[21]

Business

• James Keith Bain AM – company director, farmer, author, chairman of Merryville Estates Pty Ltd, NatWest Aust. Bank Ltd (1985–91), Bain & Company (1947–87), Sydney Stock Exchange (1983–87) (also attended The Scots College)[22]

Media, entertainment and the arts

• Alex Buzo – playwright[23]
• Peter Cousens – musical theatre performer
• Gus Gordon – illustrator and children's writer
• Ian Kiernan AO – environmentalist and around the world yachtsman (also attended The Scots College)[22]
• Nigel Brennan - Photojournalist and author who was kidnapped by Islamist insurgents in Somalia in 2008 and held hostage for 15 months
• Ben Mingay – TV and film actor
• Angus Sampson – TV and film actor who appeared in Kokoda and Thank God You're Here

Politics, public service and the law

• Sir Arnold Amet – former Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea
• Sir Kina Bona KBE – Judge, National and Supreme Courts of Papua New Guinea
• Lieutenant Colonel Sir Michael Bruxner – leader of the New South Wales Country Party, Deputy Premier and Member of the NSW Parliament from 1920–1962
• Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead KCB, KBE, CMG, DSO, ED – military leader who led the Australian and British troops at the Siege of Tobruk (1941) and at the Second Battle of El Alamein (TAS Staff)
• Don Page – former Member of NSW Parliament for State seat of Ballina
• George Souris – former Member of NSW Parliament for State seat of Upper Hunter and former NSW Government Minister
• Dave Layzell - Member of NSW Parliament for State seat of Upper Hunter - NSW Nationals
• William Wentworth AO – Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives

Science

• Professor Jonathan Sprent FRS – Immunologist with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research

Sport

• Greg Cornelsen – former rugby player capped 25 times for the Wallabies
• Sir Bernard Croft – played Rugby Union for Australia in the 1928 New Zealand tour
• Allan Grice – racing driver and politician, most famous for twice winning the prestigious Bathurst 1000 (1986 and 1990), and Member for Broadwater in the Queensland Parliament from 1992 to 2001
• Joe Roff – former rugby player for the ACT Brumbies (1996-04) and capped 86 times for the Wallabies
• Richard Tombs – former rugby player capped five times for the Wallabies

Other

• Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor – pioneering aviator and author[24]

• List of Anglican schools in New South Wales
• Anglican education in Australia
• List of boarding schools in Australia
• Lawrence Campbell Oratory Competition

• The Armidale School website
• NSW Rhodes Scholars