National Trust start petition to save Anzac Hill High School

A PETITION from the National Trust to save Anzac Hill High School is the latest page in the ongoing Indigenous Art Gallery saga.

National Trust members Brenda Shields and Alex Nelson at the gates to the old Anzac High School which they want to see heritage listed. Picture: SATRIA DYER-DARMAWAN

A PETITION from the National Trust to save Anzac Hill High School is the latest page in the ongoing Indigenous Art Gallery saga.

The Trust applied to the Heritage Council to have the school listed but was rejected and it launched the petition last week.

The school complex comprises a major double storey wing fronting towards Anzac Oval in two sections.

Heritage listing would prevent the school from being demolished or refurbished for any purpose whether it be an art gallery, new council chambers or a sports facility.

The major part, closer to the Todd River, is the original building constructed in 1952-53, and attached to this structure is a double storey wing parallel to the Todd River bank.

Other ancillary structures of more recent origin are located at the rear (north end) of the property.

Heritage Council chairman Wayne Kraft said by applying the heritage assessment criteria it was found that overall the significance did not warrant being permanently protected by the Heritage Act.

“This was although the former school has some importance in terms of demonstrating the evolution of educational facilities in Alice Springs, and that it has an association with The Reverend Harry Griffiths (who lobbied for the construction of the School),” he said.

The old school was entered on the National Trust’s Register of Significant Places on 8 June 1999.

“This place marks a significant milestone in the history and development of education in Alice Springs and the Northern Territory,” the Statement of Significance in the Register reads.

“It was the first purpose built school for the education of secondary school students in Alice Springs and was a significant step-up in school design to meet the increasing needs of the community.”

The Register of Significant Places records sites of heritage throughout the NT but does not provide any legal protections against destroying the building. Petitions are available at the Old Hartley Street School and circulated around town. For more information about the school, including recent photos, go to www.natioaltrust.org.au/savetheschool.

A tender to demolish the school closes on April 12.

The view of Anzac High School outside the gates. Picture: SATRIA DYER-DARMAWAN