Urrbrae Agricultural High School (GA1001)

Urrbrae Agricultural High School is located in Netherby, at the corner of Cross and Fullarton Roads in the Adelaide metropolitan area. It is the only high school in South Australia with a special interest in agriculture (1).

The origins of the school were motivated by two events. In 1913 Peter Waite made a donation of 114 acres of land to the South Australian Government on the condition that it build an agricultural school on the land (2).

As a result of the challenges of rising unemployment which the construction industry faced at the end of the 1920s, the Premier Hon R.L. Butler pledged in 1929 that the South Australian Government would have the school built as soon as possible (3).

The school opened in 1932 with Arthur Robert Hilton as the first Headmaster (4).

Enrolments at the school have grown over time. After starting with 33 students (5), enrolments steadily climbed, reaching 400 students by 1955 (6). In 1966 the school had around 800 students - a number which had grown to over 1000 enrolments by 2008 (7).

Urrbrae Agricultural High School currently shares its operations with the SA TAFE State Centre for Horticulture (8).

Sources:

(1) Urrbrae Agricultural High School 2013, 'Urrbrae Agricultural High School: Science with practice', viewed 29/11/2013.
(2) 'Agricultural High School: Urrbrae applications', "The Advertiser", 29 August 1929, p. 14.
(3) 'Relief for unemployed. Government buildings. School and hospital', "The Advertiser", 19 February 1929, p. 13.
(4) University of South Australia 2003, 'Teachers: HILTON, Arthur Robert',
(viewed 29/11/2013).

(5) '"More City Boys going into Farming", says Head', "Chronicle", 20 December 1951, p. 16.

(6) 'Urrbrae school grows fast', "The Mail", 11 December 1954, p. 2.