The Hutchins School

The Hutchins School
Location
Map
Hobart
,
Tasmania

Australia
Coordinates42°54′21″S 147°19′46″E / 42.90583°S 147.32944°E / -42.90583; 147.32944
Information
TypeIndependent, day & boarding
MottoLatin: Vivit Post Funera Virtus
(Character lives after death)
DenominationAnglican
Established1846; 179 years ago (1846)
Sister schoolSt Michael's Collegiate School
ChairmanAndrew Walker
PrincipalDr Robert McEwan
ChaplainDr Lee Weissel
Employees~250[1]
GenderBoys
Enrolment1,100
Colour(s)Black, gold & magenta
Athletics conferenceSATIS
Websitewww.hutchins.tas.edu.au

The Hutchins School is an Anglican, day and boarding school for boys from pre-kindergarten to Year 12 in Hobart, Tasmania. Established in 1846, Hutchins is one of the oldest continually operating schools in Australia.

Hutchins is a founding-member of the International Boys' Schools Coalition (IBSC),[2] and a member of Independent Schools Tasmania (IST).[3] The Hutchins School is one of two boys' schools in Tasmania.

History

The Hutchins School was established in 1846 at Hobart Town in memory of The Venerable William Hutchins, first Archdeacon of Van Diemen's Land. Arriving in the colony in 1837, Archdeacon Hutchins had worked to establish a faithful ministry, erecting churches and schools and laying the foundation for secondary education under the auspices of the Church of England.[4]

The School commenced operations under Headmaster John Richard Buckland at Ingle Hall, a large Georgian house dating from 1811 which still stands in lower Macquarie Street, Hobart. Three years later it moved several blocks up Macquarie Street to a purpose-built schoolhouse designed by Tasmanian architect, William Archer.[4]

In the early days of many and varied schools and tenuous longevity, Hutchins survived by absorbing pupils, staff and plant of other less robust institutions, including Christ's College (1846–1912), The High School (1850–65), Horton College (1855–93) and Officer College (1888–1900). When Hutchins joined forces with Christ's College in 1912 it was the signal for Arthur A. Stephens to close Queen's College, founded by him in 1893, and accept the post of vice-master of Hutchins. In 1905 Hutchins amalgamated with Buckland's School, opened in 1893 by William Harvey Buckland, son of founding headmaster J. R. Buckland and brother of second headmaster John Vansittart Buckland. Hutchins would go on to absorb King's Grammar School (1907), Franklin House School (1917) and Apsley House School (1928), and affiliate with Gryce (1934) and Gladwyn (1937) Schools.[4]

By the 1950s the School was growing too large for its inner-city site and in 1957 a new Junior School was built on an elevated site overlooking the River Derwent at Sandy Bay. This followed the opening at the Sandy Bay site of a sub-primary section in 1946 and the Memorial Oval and pavilion in 1955. The Senior School was later constructed on the adjacent site of the former Queenborough Cemetery, following a council referendum in which ratepayers voted '1 for educational purposes' in 1960.[5] As part of this arrangement the council committed to pay for 1,900 bodies to be exhumed from the cemetery with the school funding all other exhumations. As of 2024, it is unclear how many bodies were actually exhumed by the council.[6] By 1964 the Senior School campus encompassed a boarding house and science wing, quickly followed by an administration block and classrooms, while the Junior School campus across the road soon expanded to include a fledgling Middle School. The Macquarie Street building was sold in 1965, with Hutchins commencing full operations at Sandy Bay the following year.[citation needed]

In March 2024, two graves were found during earthworks for a new building at the school.[7] An archaeology team was brought in and 1,973 human remains were exhumed upon completion of the project in late 2024. It is believed to be the largest mass exhumation ever undertaken in Australia. Due to poor management of the former cemetery it was difficult to identify most of the remains.[6] 1,717 out of 1,973 of the bodies were identified.[8] The remains were reinterred at the Cornelian Bay Cemetery. It is believed that hundreds of bodies remain buried under school property.[6]

Co-curricular program

The school runs an extensive co-curricular program[9] offering music, performing arts, debating, sports and the Duke of Edinburgh International Award.

Sport

The Hutchins School is a member of the Sports Association of Tasmanian Independent Schools (SATIS).

SATIS premierships

The Hutchins School has won the following SATIS premierships.[10]

  • Athletics (23) – 1968, 1981, 1983, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021
  • Basketball – 2009
  • Cricket (22) – 1926, 1938, 1962, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1994, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2018, 2021
  • Cricket T20 (2) – 2018, 2021
  • Cross Country (38) – 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
  • Football (14) – 1968, 1969, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010
  • Hockey (17) – 1978, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
  • Rowing (28) – 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021
  • Rowing Eight (46) – 1923, 1924, 1926, 1928, 1934, 1937, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
  • Soccer (7) – 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2014
  • Swimming (27) – 1976, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2018
  • Tennis (10) – 1962, 1974, 1975, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2005, 2020, 2021

Headmasters

Headmaster Term begin Term end Notes
John Richard Buckland 3 August 1846 (1846-08-03) 13 October 1874 (1874-10-13) [11][12]
J V Buckland 1874 1892
H H Anderson 1892 1906
E G Muschamp 1907 1908
G A Gurney 1908 1912
L H Lindon 1912 1917
C C Thorold 1918 1929
J R O Harris 1929 1942
V S Murphy 1942 1945
P Radford 1946 1953
W H Mason-Cox 1954 1958
H V Jones 1958 1958
G H Newman 1959 1963
D H Lawrence 1963 1970
D B Clarke 1971 1986
J M B Bednall 1987 1996
W D Toppin 1997 2007
Warwick Dean 2007 31 December 2016 (2016-12-31)
Dr Rob McEwan 1 January 2017 (2017-01-01) incumbent

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of The Hutchins School include:

Rhodes Scholars & Victoria Cross Recipients

As of 2024, The Hutchins School has had 26[23] Rhodes Scholars, the latest being the 2024 Tasmania scholar, Billy Blackett.[24] Alumni have been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship for Australian states other than Tasmania, such as the 2016 New South Wales scholar, Harjeevan Narulla.[25][26]

Notable Hutchins alumni to be awarded the Rhodes Scholarship include:[23][self-published source]

Two Hutchins Old Boys have been awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in Commonwealth countries. They include:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Positions of Employment". The Hutchins School. 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
  2. ^ "International Boys' Schools Coalition". International Boys' Schools Coalition. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Independent Schools Tasmania". Independent Schools Tasmania. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Mason-Cox, Margaret (2013). Character Unbound: A History of The Hutchins School. Hobart, Tasmania: The Hutchins School. pp. 13–27. ISBN 978-0-646-90355-2.
  5. ^ "The Mercury". 5 April 1960.
  6. ^ a b c Coulter, Ellen (14 December 2024). "Australia's largest mass exhumation reveals almost 2,000 bodies underneath school". ABC News. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  7. ^ Murray, Will (6 March 2024). "Gruesome discovery at Hobart school a consequence of city's practice of building over top of cemeteries". ABC News. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Information: Former Queenborough Cemetery Exhumations". The Hutchins School. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  9. ^ "Co-Curricular". The Hutchins School. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  10. ^ McBride, Barb (26 August 2016). "History of Winners | SATIS". Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  11. ^ Mennell, Philip (1892). "Buckland, Rev. John Richard" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
  12. ^ Dollery, E. M. "Buckland, John Richard (1819–1874)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  13. ^ Hogan, Terry (1979). "Percy Phipps Abbott (1869–1940)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 7. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  14. ^ Australian poet Stuart Barnes
  15. ^ McLaren, Alex; Spink, J.A. (1993). "Frank Philip Bowden (1903–1968)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 13. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  16. ^ a b c d e f "Star students: The Hutchins School". The Mercury. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  17. ^ a b c "Hutchins 1979" (PDF). The Hutchins School. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  18. ^ Boyer, Peter (1981). "Davies, Sir John George (1846 - 1913)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  19. ^ Cain, Neville (1981). "Lyndhurst Falkiner Giblin (1872–1951)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 8. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  20. ^ Jones, Elizabeth (1986). "Thomas Murdoch (1868–1946)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 10. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  21. ^ Ward, John M. (1988). "Nicholas, Harold Sprent (1877–1953)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  22. ^ "OBITUARY". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania. 14 December 1931. p. 6. Retrieved 11 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ^ a b Mizzen, Michelle (1 December 2020). "Our 25th Rhodes Scholar" (PDF). Magenta & Black Magazine. 112. Hobart: The Hutchins School: 17.[self-published source]
  24. ^ Ewan, Tia (3 November 2023). "Tasmanian on Rhode to success after awarded prestigious scholarship to study at Oxford". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania.
  25. ^ Hamilton, S. 2015. UNSW wins fourth Rhodes Scholarship in three years.University of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  26. ^ Henwood, Belinda (23 November 2020). "UNSW Law claims seventh Rhodes Scholar in seven years". University of New South Wales. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  27. ^ Howard, Jessica (17 January 2021). "Descendants of Tasmanian Victoria Cross recipients to gather for first time at historic event in Hobart – search on for two missing families". The Mercury. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Centenary of ANZAC - Trooper John Hutton Bisdee VC". www.centenaryofanzac.tas.gov.au. Retrieved 7 May 2024.