BSHS 80th Anniversary - Open Day

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2003

Subcollections

Overview

Photograph of a visitor reading a Kingia magazine in the original school library on the occasion of the school's 80th Anniversary celebrations open day.

Historical information

Planning for a Bunbury High School (BHS) began in 1917. The school was to be built on top of a sand dunes known as Boulter's Heights. The site chosen by the Minister for Education, Sir James Mitchell.

Surveying was completed in 1920. The contract to construct Bunbury High School was let on the 9th January, 1922. The contract for the school went to Totterdell & Bros. of Perth.

By the 1st October, 1922, a two-storey building comprising of 8 classrooms, 2 science laboratories and a gymnasium was completed at a cost of £15,189.00

In 1923, Bunbury High School opened with 162 students and 11 staff.

Bunbury High School was originally built to cater for about 200 students and due to budget constraints was built without a library.

In 1929 the library wing was built to alleviate overcrowding after the student population reached 270 students.

The two story wing was built in the same in the same style of architecture as the existing building. The ground floor consisted of a single room 50 feet by 24 feet, which housed the library. Above the library two new classrooms were built.

The new wing cost about £4,000, was designed by the Public Works Department, and built by contractor Mr WT Clark.

The library wing was ready for use when school year commenced in 1930.

In 2005, plans for a new Library and Administration building were prepared. In 2007 a tender was let for the construction of the new library. The library was completed in 2008 and was was ready for use when school year commenced in 2009.

The original library was converted into a boardroom and currently houses the majority of the school's historic objects.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-229-6.86b

Item type

Photographs

Material

Photographic Materials

Contextual information

Photographs shows the architectural detail and the layout of the original library built in 1930 that was repurposed in 2009 when the new library was opened.

Keywords

2000s

Place made

Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia

Year

2003

Public location

Boardroom - Archive Box

Last modified

Thursday, 20 August, 2026

Completeness

100