History of our school

​Our History

In 1955, the Department of Education, acquired a 26 acre site between Dean and Berserker Streets and made plans to erect a high school. Because of the increasing numbers of students and the limited size of the grounds at Rockhampton State High School and Technical College it was necessary to construct another high school in Rockhampton.

In the meantime, the enrolled 135 students had been using various nearby buildings which were rented from two churches and a nearby business.  North Rockhampton State High School was opened on 23 January 1956.  The first principal was Mr Victor Honour (1956-1957), a well-known Queensland cricketer.

At the beginning of 1956, one hundred parents attended a meeting convened by the principal to make decisions concerning the school uniform and general matters.  By the end of June 1956, students occupied the new buildings. The first section of the school consisted of three general classrooms and a library room on the first floor and a science lecture room, a laboratory, a science store room, and an enclosed student's recreational area.

The Minister for Public Instruction, Mr. L. F Diplock, officially opened the school on Saturday 22 September 1956 at 2:30pm.  The school principal, Mr Honour, and Rockhampton's Mayor, Mr Pilbeam, and other dignitaries witnessed a stirring school war cry by more than 100 pupils dressed in their school colours of maroon and grey, a cadet guard of honour, student displays and a special cake in the shape of the school badge.

During the first few months of 1957, further accommodation consisting of four classrooms and a drawing room became available for use.  During 1958, additional buildings were added: C Block (science), D Block (home science), E Block (manual arts) and A Block (administration). Year 11 classes also began in 1958.                                                                                                                                           

During 1959 the football field was developed; 1960 the first coved bike racks in Queensland were built; 1962 C Block was extended and the ladies staffroom moved to C8 and men's staffroom to B2; 1963 I Block (manual arts) was built and two ovals were being developed; 1965 H Block was built; 1966 F Block (science) was built; 1971 G Block was built; 1973 Library was built; 1974 K Block (science) and L Block was added to the school facilities; 1975 N and M Blocks were built. By 1980 the Assembly Hall was opened; 1991 a new tuckshop and new Administration building were opened; 2001 a major refurbishment of F Block; the new Performing Arts Complex, music block and staff centre were opened; 2005 shade sails were constructed over the amphitheatre.

In the early days girls' skirts could be no shorter than three inches above the knee when kneeling; girls wore berets in winter and panama hats the rest of the year; students swam in Moore's Creek to practice for swimming carnivals; schools held an Annual Ball; and sport students had to go to other sporting fields because the oval was still bushland.  During the 70's NRSHS was the biggest high school outside Brisbane and the second largest high school in Queensland.

Today, North Rockhampton High School boosts a new fully functioning hospitality centre which caters for internal and external functions, air-conditioned classrooms accommodating 1000 students and 130 staff, new basketball/netball courts, re-conditioned sports ovals and a refurbished well-equipped resource centre.

North Rockhampton High School has had a number of ex-students go on to become extremely successful in their chosen areas. Most notably, North Rockhampton High School was the high school of Olympic Gold Medallist hockey players, Mark Knowles, Matt Ghodes and Jamie Dwyer.  Zac Smith played AFL for Gold Coast and was signed with Geelong for the 2016 season. Tim Glasby is was playing NRL for Melbourne Storm.

Bevan Slattery graduated in 1988 and is an Australian technology entrepreneur. He co-founded PIPE Networks with Steve Baxter in 2002; the company was sold to TPG in 2009 for $373 million. Slattery is the founder and part-owner of Sub Partners, a submarine cable group. He also founded Superloop. In 2011, Slattery was listed at number 14 on BRW‍‍ ' ‍s list of the 100 wealthiest Australians under 40, with a net worth of $103 million.

Craig Zonca, Australian radio broadcaster, is now heard across Queensland at midday each weekday presenting ABC Local Radio's long-running rural affairs program, the Queensland Country Hour. He also occasionally appears on ABC Television, such as when filling in for weather presenter, Jenny Woodward on ABC News Queensland.

Dr Beres Joyner was appointed "staff specialist" in 2012, by Queensland Health. There are only 27 such positions in Queensland. This comes after years working in a wide variety of medical practice areas, including indigenous health.

NRSHS Motto 1956
​​FIDEM PRAESTARE MEMENTO

"We will never bring disgrace to this our country by any act of dishonesty or cowardice;

We will strive for our ideals and the sacred things of life, both alone and with many;

We will revere God, honour the Queen and obey the Country's laws and do our best to incite a like reverence and respect in those about us;

We will strive unceasingly to quicken the public's sense of civic duty; and thus in all these ways...

We will strive to transmit this Country greater, better and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us."

Importance of the HAWKS Logo
​​1995 Bambaru stated that “In 1996 every North Rocky High sporting team will bear the Hawks logo as a sign of our unity and commitment to excellence."​

1956 - 1957: VG Honour

1958 - 1963: DJ Watson

1964 - 1967: AF Pembleton

1968 - 1970: CJR Spall

1971 - 1974: EK Haughton

1975 - 1975: AG Matthews

1976 - 1978: P MacDonald

1979 - 1987: B Kehoe

1988 - 1991: GJ Williams

1992 - 1995: L Ferguson

1996 - 2006: P O'Beirne

2007 - 2014: J Newman

2015 - 2019: J Young

2020 - Current: K Goodwin 

Significant Dates in the Structural Development of Our School

1956: June our first building completed (B Block)

The top floor had 3 general classrooms and a library room.  The bottom floor had the science lecture room, a laboratory, science storeroom and a student recreational area (temporarily used for manual training classes).

1957: Four classrooms and a drawing room were added to the original building

1958: New wings:

• C wing (Science block with physics lecture room (with stepped floor), chemistry lab and general lecture room)
  
• D wing (Cooking and sewing facilities
  
• E wing (manual training wing equipped for wood and metal work
  
• A wing (Principals office, staffrooms etc.)