Timeline

Timeline

Campbell High School opens its doors to students for the first time on 3 February 1965. Under the direction of the first principal, Mr E S Atkinson, 350 students enrol at the new school, 248 in Form 1 and 102 in Form II. A number of these new students were to attend Deakin High School but their new school building is not yet ready. Although the school opens on time, site works are to continue for some weeks, including the construction of playing fields and parking areas. An additional 72 students enrol during the year and with the inevitable small number of school leavers, the total reaches 399 by the end of 1965. Many of today' s students and certainly all of our current generation of teachers would shudder at the number of students enrolled in high school classes in the 60s.

Soon after the school opens it soon becomes apparent that there are some deficiencies in need of urgent attention. These include the lack of changerooms, no flyscreens on the home science rooms, noisy classrooms due to lack of acoustic tiling and no assembly hall. Requests and deputations are made to the Department of Education and Science and they are to prove successful and see remedies for these problems come to light.

The school building is operational long before any grass is planted in the inner quad or on the oval. A photograph taken in June of this year shows the school buildings sitting in very barren surroundings with not a blade of grass or shrub to be seen.

At the end of 1965, 120 of our first students leave Campbell High to continue their education at Deakin High School which is now complete and ready for its first intake. A small number of our students leave school when only year 7 or 8 to join the workforce - something almost unheard of today. A couple join the PMG while others go nursing, waitressing, to work in David Jones or a bank in Civic, or to work as a carpenter or a builder’s labourer. The main two-storey block contains 20 classrooms including normal teaching classrooms, special social studies rooms, an art room with potter annexe, a senior and general library, textbook store, duplicating room, medical officers room and small study rooms.

On 12 August, during Education Week, teachers, pupils and parents gather at Campbell High School for the unveiling of the portraits of our house patrons. Daley, Dickson, Lind and Stephen, by the President of the P&C, Mr Robson. At this same ceremony, Dr and Mrs Colin Barnard present the Barnard Cup for inter-house competition to the school. Heavy rainfall on the day results in the cancellation of the proposed assembly as the school is still some years away from getting its Assembly Hall. Students remain in their classrooms and the ceremony is broadcast over the public address system.

Our school uniform consists largely of the standard Canberra grey with the Campbell Clan colours featured in blue school blazers, the tartan tie and a tartan beret fixed with a chrome badge of the Campbell crest. Early in the year it is decided to have a blue and gold enamel badge made from this same design to be worn as a tie pin or on the front of the jumper or tunic.