Closed schools in the east: Ringwood Technical School, Chadstone High
Your first crush, best mates, dances, even a sneaky cigarette behind the shed — many people have fond memories from their time at school. From Ringwood Technical School to Chadstone High, we take a look at the lost schools of the east.
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Many schools across the east have shut their doors over the years, merging with others or closing for good, with sites often becoming magnets for vandals before being turned into housing.
But former students and teachers will never forget the good times and many have fond memories of their school days.
We take a look back at some of the much-loved schools in the east gone but not forgotten.
NUNAWADING PRIMARY SCHOOL
Thousands of students attended the popular school over many decades until it closed in 2009.
The site then attracted vandals and became an eyesore, until Whitehorse Council bought it and announced plans to turn it into a community hub.
According to the Whitehorse Primary School website, Nunawading Primary opened in Springvale Rd in 1922 (originally as Tunstall State School) and Springview Primary School opened in Junction Rd in 1964, before both schools closed and merged to become Whitehorse Primary, which moved to new buildings at its present location in Junction Rd Blackburn North in 2012.
The council paid $6 million for the old school site in Springvale Rd site in 2015 after 18 months of drawn-out negotiations with the State Government.
On the Monash Leader Facebook page Anna Ruth said Nunawading Primary used to have an amazing adventure playground that she had loved.
“So exciting when it went in,” she said.
“At least the lovely old staffroom building and hall … has been preserved within the construction of the new Nunawading sports/community hub that is being built on the original school land.”
RINGWOOD TECHNICAL SCHOOL
The school closed in 2005 after 45 years in the community.
Former student Joan Pickford told Maroondah Leader in 2009 “a lot of smart people” had attended the school including actor John Wood.
Ms Pickford, who attended the school in the late 1960s and 1970s said the educational landscape had changed dramatically during the years.
“In those days we were not allowed down to the boys side of the school and they weren’t allowed on ours,’’ she said. “But we had a lot of fun.”
On Maroondah Leader’s Facebook page former student Sammi Kent said the best part about attending Ringwood Tech was the friends she had met and caught up with at reunions.
MIMOSA PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Glen Waverley school’s declining enrolment and proximity to other schools prompted its closure in 1994.
For more than two decades Norman Barry watched almost 10,000 students go through the gates of the school on High Street Rd, from its inception in August 1973 until its closure.
Monash Leader previously reported that on top of his long list of duties as caretaker, Mr Barry spent much of his spare time collecting school photos, pictures, trophies, badges, as well as a detailed written history on students, classes and student representatives.
The great-grandfather donated the memorabilia to the Waverley Historical Society in 2009.
CROYDON HIGH SCHOOL
Many past students have fond memories from their time at Croydon High School.
But 60 years of school memories was reduced to rubble with the demolition of the former school, which became known as Croydon Secondary College, and Melba College’s junior campus last December.
Croydon Community School is set to move to the site, which was Croydon Secondary College’s home from 1958-2011 and then the merged Melba College’s junior campus until the end of 2017.
On Maroondah Leader’s Facebook page Sandy Eastwood said she had the best years at Croydon High from 1976-1980. “Still have contact with my besties,” she said.
FERNTREE GULLY HIGH SCHOOL
The school made headlines in 1985 by allowing children aged 15 and over to smoke.
According to a News Corp report in 1985, all students at the school were previously permitted to smoke, but the school council then moved to allow it only for Years 10, 11 and 12.
The school which shut its doors in 2006, after operating for more than 40 years.
On the Lilydale & Yarra Valley Facebook page, Kaeli Haines said she was one of the last Year 12 students to attend the school.
“The community was great it was a small school approximately 300 students from memory,” she said.
“Everyone knew everyone. Was sad it got a bad reputation and enrolments went down … was sad to see it go.”
Pina Maio said she went to school and met some great people.
“Best days of my life,” she said.
Sally-Ann Bentley said Ferntree Gully High in the 1970-1980s was awesome.
“We called our teachers by their first names, we were treated (mostly) like young adults,” she said.
“Six of my seven siblings went to Ferntree Gully High. I was the last and I’ll never forget on orientation day about four teachers asked my mum if I was the “last Bentley”. Loved my time at Gully High.”
ASHWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL
Now a housing estate, Ashwood Primary School was based on sprawling grounds on the corner of High Street Rd and Vannam Drive.
It operated between 1953 to 1993, before students moved to a new school, Parkhill Primary, which still operates today.
According to the Ashwood Primary School 1953 – 1993 Facebook page, Ashwood State School, No 4698, opened on February 3 1953 with 323 pupils in six aluminium prefabricated rooms. Extra rooms were added by 1956 and it became a training school attached to Burwood Teachers College.
The school closed in 1993 and the site was redeveloped in conjunction with the closure of Jordanville Technical school.
CHADSTONE HIGH SCHOOL
A radical plan to amalgamate dozens of Victoria’s primary and secondary schools attracted protests in 1987.
The Herald reported 23 schools throughout the state had agreed to merge and more could follow.
School to amalgamate included Murrumbeena and Chadstone Highs, which were set to join with Oakleigh Tech.
Students from Chadstone High downed pens and took to the streets in protest at the planned closure of their school.
About 200 of the school’s 315 students marched through the streets to the Chadstone shopping centre with placards in hand. They then boycotted classes for the rest of the day.
After opening in 1962, the school closed its doors for the final time in 1991.
Have we missed your school? Please share your memories in the comments below.
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