Normanhurst School, Ashfield
| Normanhurst School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , Australia | |
| Coordinates | 33°53′11″S 151°07′45″E / 33.886373°S 151.1291692°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent, girls' |
| Denomination | Non-denominational |
| Established | 1882 |
| Founder | Ellen Clarke |
| Status | Closed |
| Closed | 1941 |
The Normanhurst School was an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for girls that operated in Ashfield, in the Inner Western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.[1] Despite being non-denominational, the Normanhurst school maintained close links with St John's Anglican Parish, which was situated in the vicinity of the school.[2]
History
The Normanhurst School was established in 1882 by Ellen Clarke, who was an English national.[2] Clarke was principal of the school from its founding in 1882 to 1893.[2] In 1884, her sister Marian Clarke arrived in Australia from England to join the faculty, and founded Abbotsleigh the following year.[3] At its foundation, the school operated out of a cottage located on Bland Street, Ashfield.[2] Later as the school expanded, it moved to another larger campus in Ashfield at the intersection of Orpington and Chandos streets (pictured right).[2] Through the initiative of the then headmistress, Evelyn Tildesley, the Normanhurst School became a founding member of the Headmistresses’ Association of NSW (which has since become the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools) in 1916.[4] The school ceased operations in 1941.[1]
Notable alumnae
- Daphne Akhurst (1903–1933) – five times Australian Open tennis champion[5]
- Janet Cosh (1901–1989) – amateur botanist and plant collector[6]
- Constance Elizabeth Harker (1875–1964) – was a headmistress at Somerville House.[7]
- Margaret Slattery AM, DCSG (1922–2015) – National Secretary of the Australian Parents Council during the 1970s, an advocacy organisation for non-government schools[8]
- P. L. Travers AO (1899–1996) – author of the Mary Poppins series of children's books, later adapted into the musical film of the same name[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Normanhurst Girls School Ashfield". The Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Normanhurst School, pictorial collection, ca. 1890–1920". The State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ↑ "Marian Clarke, 1885-1913". Abbotsleigh School history and archives.
- ↑ "About AHIGS". AHIGS – Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ↑ Akhurst, Daphne Jessie (1903–1933). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 1 April 2008.
- ↑ "Janet Louise Cosh". Australian National Herbarium. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ↑ Gill, K. E., "Constance Elizabeth Harker (1875–1964)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 28 October 2023
- ↑ "John and Margaret Slattery: The very public couple". 28 December 2015.
- ↑ Lawson, V., 1999, Out of the sky she came: The life of P. L. Travers, creator of Mary Poppins, published in association with Belladonna Books. ISBN 0-7336-1072-2
