It could have been the biggest birthday party in the history of Haberfield.
From Chippendale to Chicago, from Ashfield to Athens, the word was spread about Haberfield Public School’s 100th birthday celebrations.
Our official school 100 year celebrations were held on Saturday 1 May 2010. This was a huge celebration and party for current & past students as well as families and friends of Haberfield Public School.
A huge thank you is extended to all parents, children and teachers alike who joined us in the fun to make, bake, sew and dance to make this day such a huge success.
Our gala event, the Centenary Dinner, took place on Friday 3 September. What a glamorous affair it was! Teachers past and present, parents and past students came together to celebrate our 100 year anniversary at Le Montage in Lilyfield.
Sponsorship
Thank you to the following businesses who kindly donated money towards the school during its centenary year:
- Silver sponsors of HPS centenary year: Lamonica’s IGA, Haberfield; Raine & Horne, Haberfield; In Character Images, Concord; Kwik Kopy, Five Dock.
- Bronze sponsors of HPS centenary year: Dolcissimo Restaurant, Haberfield; Priceline Pharmacy, Five Dock; Muirs Motors, Haberfield; Clark Rubber, Haberfield.
The following excerpt comes from a speech that was made by MP Verity Firth in the NSW Parliament following our event:
“Ms Verity Firth (Balmain—Minister for Education and Training): Tonight I inform members that last week I was delighted to attend a centenary ball at Haberfield Public School. A huge cohort of teachers past and present, staff, students past and present and current parents and friends joined to celebrate the school’s achievements.
I was especially impressed with the wonderful musical talent of students past and present. Congratulations go to Principal Karlynne Jacobsen and to the Parents and Citizens association for organising such a great event.
Haberfield Public School was founded in 1910 and had 50 students. In 2010 it has grown to a school with 602 students. It is a culturally diverse school, with 76 per cent of students coming from a non-English speaking background. The school continues to excel academically and it has a reputation for excellence in all areas, including performing arts and sport.
The school is part of the history of Haberfield—itself a heritage treasure of Sydney, listed on the Register of the National Estate and the first suburb recognised as a heritage conservation area. Haberfield was established in 1901, the year of Australia’s Federation. It was built following the Garden Estate movement, which was a reaction to the crowded “insanitary” settlements of the earlier suburbs.
When establishing the estate, Richard Stanton used the slogan “Slum-less, lane-less, pub-less”. This indicated that he was designing a genteel residential suburb of free-standing brick houses that did not need back lanes because every house was connected to a sewer—the first such suburb in Sydney.
The first few streets in Haberfield were given the names of the members of the first Federal cabinet—Barton, Kingston, Forrest, Turner, Deakin and Dickson. The whole suburb was developed by the 1920s and Haberfield Public School was a crucial part of Haberfield life.
The school has always offered excellent education. Earlier this year, at the launch of the centenary celebrations, I enjoyed visiting the display in the library, where tools of learning from every era were displayed. Slates lay beside quills, exercise books, pencils and biros, textbooks old and new, all in front of one of the school’s interactive whiteboards. How education has changed and continues to develop!”