On 11th April 1910, Haberfield School was opened as an Infants’ School with Miss Elizabeth Williams as Headmistress and Miss Mary Bennet as assistant.
The initial enrolment was 50.
Following an increase in population at the time, Ashfield Municipal Council wrote to the Department of Public Instruction requesting the establishment of an additional class.
This class was established and occupied the Assembly Hall, and thus Haberfield became a primary school in September 1912, with Mr Walter Lambert as first Headmaster.
In order to meet the immediate needs of the school, a pavilion room was erected. This did not satisfy the residents of Haberfield, and in June 1914, a deputation including the parents & citizens’ association, which had recently been formed, met the Director of Education, Mr Peter Board, and asked that further provision be made for the educational requirements of the district.
At that time enrolment had increased to 281 and additional classrooms were urgently required. A contract was let for another building, which was planned as a department separate from the Infants’ section.
The building, consisting of four classrooms and costing 2864 pounds was completed and opened officially in January 1915. Additions were made later to complete the building, the present B Block of our school.
Subsequent to the erection of the buildings, numerous trees and shrubs were planted in a manner best calculated to beautify the school grounds, keeping in tradition with Haberfield’s newly coined name as the Garden Suburb.
Haberfield became a Garden Suburb following the onset of its gardens containing distinctive planting, fences, gates and curving tiled paths.
Haberfield became a demonstration school in 1933. Our connection with teacher training began much earlier than this though.
As far back as 1920, the Infants Department was known as a ‘Supplementary Practice School’ where teacher-trainees were given guidance in classroom teaching and practices.
Click here to read about our official school 100 year celebrations which were held throughout 2010: Our centenary.
The traditional owners of the Haberfield area were Aboriginal peoples from the Eora (Darug) group: Indigenous history of the Haberfield area.