Wodonga High School – Belvoir Magazine 1955 – precis
The school was opened in 1857 and was known as School No. 378, Belvoir. In 1862 the Board of Education took control and called it Belvoir School No. 37, later known as No. 37 Wodonga. In 1938 it was made a Higher Elementary School and in 1954 it reached the status of a High School.
In 1954 four House names were introduced and are still in use today.
Davis House:
In 1870 Mr. Edwin Davis became Head Master and with the help of his wife and son James, taught in a single room which soon proved to be too small, so they moved to temporary quarters until more rooms were built. When appointed to Wodonga school he, his wife and four children travelled in a horse-drawn waggon.
Gartner House:
One of the most loved teachers ever to be connected with the Wodonga School was Miss Edith Gartner, who came in 1907 when there were only two members of staff. She became like “a second mother” to the children in her charge. Ill-health forced her to retire in 1929 after 22 years at Wodonga and 45 years’ teaching altogether.
Keam House:
Charles Thomas Keam was born in 1856 and in 1886 was appointed Head Master at Wodonga where he remained until his retirement in 1916. His ability as a teacher was shown by the high standard of the school.
Harris House:
Sir John Richards Harris, K.B.E. was born at Chiltern in 1868. He completed his secondary education at Ballarat and proceeded to the University of Melbourne where he obtained his Bachelor of Medicine in 1890, Bachelor of Surgery in 1891 and his Doctorate of Medicine in 1902. He practised Medicine at Rutherglen for 25 years. During the war years he was a medical officer in the Australian Corps, returned to the district and in 1927 was created a Knight of the British Empire. In 1920 he was elected to the Legislative Council as a member for the North Eastern Province and retained the position for the rest of his life.