When Dandenong High School opened in 1919, it was the only secondary school between that town and Warragul, where the High School had opened in 1912. Because of this the early students at Dandenong came from a wide geographical area including Berwick, Pakenham, Garfield, Bunyip, Hallam, Lyndhurst, Cranbourne, Koo Wee Rup, Carnegie and Murrumbeena.
A clutch of new High Schools were opened from the 1950s to the 1970s - Springvale High in 1954, which by 1962 had over 1,000 students; Dandenong Girls High School in 1957; Doveton High in 1960, where over half of the students came from the surrounding area of Hallam, Narre Warren, Berwick, Beaconsfield, Clyde and Cranbourne; Pakenham High in 1967, Hallam High opened in 1971, Cranbourne High in 1976 and Berwick High on February 1 1977, with 110 students. Koo Wee Rup High had started in 1957, even though it was Higher Elementary School from 1953.
The Dandenong High School (DHS) was opened on March 10th, 1919. This was later than the usual School opening date due to the outbreak of pneumonic influenza that was prevalent at the end of the First World War. DHS is one of the earliest High Schools in the State. In 1919 the other State High Schools were Melbourne, University, Geelong, Castlemaine, Colac, Mansfield, Warragul, Leongatha, Kyneton, Maryborough, Stawell, Horsham, Bairnsdale, Echuca, Mildura, Ararat, St Arnaud, Essendon, Williamstown, Coburg, Benalla, Hamilton and Kerang.
Dandenong High School, maybe 1940s
Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 10516/P0001, Dandenong High School
When the School opened it was in temporary premises with the junior students housed at the Old Fire Station and the senior students at the Temperance Hall and Church of Christ. There were 104 students. The foundation stone of the permanent building was laid on November 21st, 1919 and the School was officially opened in late 1920. In 1920 the DHS enrolment was 150.
The First Head Master of DHS was Mr Percival C W Langford. Mr Langford served in the 4th Light Horse Regiment and saw action in France and the Sinai-Palestine campaign. He was invalided out of the Army in September 1916 suffering from Enteric fever (typhoid).He then undertook recruitment work for the Army. Mr Langford served at the School until 1934 when he transferred to Mildura, then to Frankston in 1937 where he worked until his retirement in 1948.
The colours of the school are those of Mr Langford’s Regiment, the 4th Light Horse, and are red and two shades of blue. The School Crest (shown above) was designed by the Art Mistress, Miss D.McKinnon. The motto of the School is Faber, Quisque, Fortunae “Every man is the architect of his own destiny”. In 1920 there were six Houses – Bluegum, Clematis, Orchid, Wattle, Boronia and Waratah though this was soon reduced to four with the loss of Boronia and Waratah. The names and colours of the houses were chosen by Miss Dora Taylor, the senior Mistress.
Dandenong High School, maybe 1940s
Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 10516/P0001, Dandenong High School
According to existing school Records the following students are the original 104 students of Dandenong High School. The 55 boys are listed first, followed by the 49 girls.
George ALEXANDER, John ARNOLD, Leopold BAILEY, Charles BLAIN, Theodor BOWMAN, John BRAKEWELL, Colin BREWIS, Charles BUCKLEY, Hugh BUNTINE, Wilfred CARLISLE, Norman CASBOLT, Henry COOPER, Clive FIGGINS, Roy FINK, James GARDNER, Claude GILCHRIST, Leonard GODFREY, John GROGAN, Darrell HARVEY, Robert HAYES, Robert JONES, Arnold KEYS, Charles MCCORD, David MCCORD, Alexander MCINNES, William MCKINNON, Charles MCPHERSON, Austin MEHRENS, Eric MEEKING, Terres MIDDLETON, John ORDISH, Arthur RALSTON, Fred RANDALL, Hector RANDALL, Donald ROBERSON, John ROBERTSON, William ROWLANDS, William RYAN, Norman SCOTT, Frederick SEARLE, Allan SHANNON, John SHARKIE, Arthur SPETTS, John STAUGHTON, Edward STRACHAN, Edward STUTTERD, Marcus SWANN, Earl TATHAM, John TAYLOR, Frank THARLE, Harvey THARLE, Percy THRELFALL, Norman TRASK, Edgar VIAL, Edward WALKER, George WEETMAN, Mervyn WILLIAMS.
Jean ABBOTT, Gertrude ALLCHIN, Isobel ALLEN, Jessie BOWMAN, Eva BUCKLEY, Evelyn BULLIVANT, Jean BUNTINE, Gladys BURNS, Margaret CAMPBELL, Maude CARLISLE, Ellen CORRIGAN, Maura CROWE, Mernda CURRIE, Lorraine DAY, Marie FACEY, Gladys GILBERTSON, Helene GILL, Nellie GORMAN, Elsie GRANT, Ruby HARRIS, Norah HILL, Jane MCCORD, Jean MCNABB, Jessie MITCHELL, Kath MORPHEY, Elsie MURRAY, Ellwyn NIELSEN, Mabel ORGILL, Lola PEARSON, Sadie PEARSON, Mary QUIGLEY, Chrissie RAVEN, Ethel RAYNER, Maud REEVE, Mabel RICHARDS, Doreen SHARKIE, Olive SHARP, Lillian SIMS, Madge SLATER, Edith SNELL, Norah STRANGE, Tasma STATTERD, Ena THARLE, Louisa THARLE, Mary THOMAS, Dorothy TRASK, Marion WALKER, Dorothy WANGMAN, Gladys WANGMAN, Eva WINN, Frances WOOLARD.
Dandenong High School students, 1930
Weekly Times July 12, 1930 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223324051
In 2007 Dandenong High School merged with Doveton Secondary College and Cleeland Secondary College.
I have written about other local High Schools here -
Local High Schools on or connected to the Koo Wee Rup Swamp https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2019/04/local-high-schools.html
and local Technical Schools here - Technical Schools in the Shires of Berwick and Cranbourne https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2024/02/technical-schools-in-shires-of-berwick.html
Sources :
- Mitchell, K. B A history of the Dandenong High School, 1919-1968. Published by the School in 1968.
- Blake, L. J (editor) Vision and Realisation: a centenary history of State Education in Victoria, (Education Department of Victoria, 1973), vol. 3.
