Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School

Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School

Latin: Ad Aspera Virtus[1]
Strength in Adversity
Location
Calala, New South Wales
Australia
Coordinates 31°08′22″S 150°58′53″E / 31.1394°S 150.9813°E / -31.1394; 150.9813Coordinates: 31°08′22″S 150°58′53″E / 31.1394°S 150.9813°E / -31.1394; 150.9813
Information
Type Selective, Single-sex, Public, Day and Boarding
Established 1939[2]
Principal Gordon Cooper
Enrolment ~610 (7–12)[3]
Campus 191 hectares (472 acres) (Rural)[3]
Colour(s) Green, Gold and Rust[1]               
Website www.farreragri-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School, Calala, NSW

Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School is an academically selective, day and boarding, Public high school for boys, located at Calala, a small suburb of Tamworth, in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is the only public agricultural high school for boys in Australia.[4]

Established in 1939, Farrer is one of the few agricultural secondary schools catering for both boarding and day students with an unhealthy academic culture. The school currently enrols approximately 610 students from Years 7 to 12, including 360 boarders,[1] making it the third largest boarding school in the State.[2] Being a public high School, tuition is free, and the school charges the lowest boarding fees in New South Wales.[3]

While an emphasis is placed on the agricultural curriculum, but a broad curriculum is also on offer for students from rural NSW who do not wish to return to the land or gain employment in an agricultural field. Other areas of emphasis at Farrer include sport and student welfare.[5]

Farrer embodies a conservative and bullying culture with poor inclusiveness of Ethnicity and Disabilities[School uniform]] is compulsory and is traditional in style, including blazer, tie and wide-brimmed hat. The school marches each week as part of the school assembly, and a prefect system is in place, playing an important role in the welfare and supervision of students.[5]

History

Farrer Memorial High School was founded in 1939 as an agricultural high school for boarders, particularly those who are isolated and day students from the Tamworth region.[2]

The school was named in memory of William James Farrer (1845–1906), a leading Australian agronomist and wheat breeder, best known for developing the "Federation" breed of wheat. His work led to significant increases in the Australian wheat crop for decades to come, and economic prosperity for the wheat industry.[6][7]

Campus

The Farrer campus is 140 hectares (346 acres) in size, and is located on the outskirts of rural Tamworth, on prime Peel Valley farmland.[2]

The school's facilities include computer rooms, TAS workshops, a 200-seat auditorium, Old Boys museum and multiple facilities to teach practical agriculture,[2] such as a 170 hectares (420 acres) farm, horticultural centre and piggery.[8] The dairy cattle, White Suffolk Flock and Angus stud are run as profitable business ventures, turning over in excess of A$140,000 at the Bull Sale in 2005.[2]

The school's sporting facilities include a gymnasium, swimming pool, weights room, tennis courts, basketball courts, football fields and a cricket oval with practice nets. The school also makes use of the city's sporting facilities, including the synthetic hockey surface and athletics track.[6]

Curriculum

Students at Farrer have the opportunity to undertake study in a number of areas from their School Certificate in Years 9 and 10, through to their Higher School Certificate (HSC) in Years 11 and 12. Some of these subject areas on offer include: Industrial Tech Metal, Industrial Tech Wood, Electronics, Information and Software Technology, Art, Music, Drama, Software Design and Development, Beef production, Sheep production, sport science and Journalism.[9]

Agricultural opportunities include Beef cattle, Sheep, Dairy cattle, Wool husbandry, Horticulture, Pig Production, Egg Growing, Dry land and Irrigated cropping.

Agriculture at Farrer is mandatory for years 7 to 10.[2]

Sack System

In years past, a "sack" was a student in lower years, particularly years 7–10. Such students were at the beck and call of students in higher years, particularly year 12, to labour at menial tasks such as shining boots, fetching food or creating confetti with a paper hole punch. The name "sack" was said to be derived from the idea that younger years were a load to carry, as a sack.[10]

The power was not restricted to year 12. Students of any year higher than another were empowered to issue such commands. For example, a year 8 boy could make demands of a year 7 boy. In this respect, the sack system may differ from the English practice of Fagging.

Failure to comply on the part of a "sack" was often disciplined with corporal punishment from the year 12 students. This punishment commonly took the form of being struck on the backside with a broom, occasionally without pants. Active resistance to the system was met with ongoing intimidation, assault and bullying from many members of the school community, including the principal.[11]

This punishment resulted in the interesting linguistic twist of the word broom being used as a verb. For example, "Tell that sack to get on with it or he's going to get broomed".

The school has now admitted in court that this system existed and that it failed to implement adequate control.[12]

Notable alumni

Alumni of Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School are known as Old Boys, and may elect to join the school's alumni association, the Farrer Old Boys' Association. The Old Boys network totals approximately 4000 members across NSW, Australia and the world.[2] Some notable Farrer Old Boys include:

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Academic
Business
Entertainment, media and the arts
Medicine and science
Politics, public service and the law
Sport

Todd Grills - Professional Tenpin Bowler (2 gold medals)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "2007 Handbook" (PDF). School Information. Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Farrer Old Boys' Association 2006 Newsletter" (PDF). Old Boys. Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 "Farrer Memorial Agricultural High Schools". New South Wales Schools. Australian Boarding Schools Association. 2007. Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
  4. ↑ "Principal's Welcome Message". About Farrer. Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School". School Locator. NSW Public Schools. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  6. 1 2 "Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School" (PDF). Accommodation Guide. National Association for Rural Student Accommodation Inc. 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  7. ↑ Wrigley, C.W. (1981). "Farrer, William James (1845–1906)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. 8 (Online ed.). Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. pp. 471–473. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  8. ↑ "The Farm". Farm. Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  9. ↑ "Subject Selection". School Information. Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  10. ↑ Textbooks 'brought bullying back' http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/national/national/general/textbooks-brought-bullying-back/1357972.aspx
  11. ↑ Old boy seeks $2m for years of torment. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/old-boy-seeks-2m-for-years-of-torment/2008/11/10/1226165481820.html
  12. ↑ "Teachers 'ignored bullied boy's pleas'" http://news.smh.com.au/national/teachers-ignored-bullied-boys-pleas-20081110-5lc1.html
  13. ↑ Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "CRIPPS Allan William". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd. Check date values in: |year= / |date= mismatch (help);
  14. ↑ "NSW Rhodes Scholars 1904 – 2007". Rhodes Scholarships. The University of Sydney. 2007. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  15. ↑ Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "SMITH Robert Henry Tufrey". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd. Check date values in: |year= / |date= mismatch (help);
  16. ↑ "Dolby's PRM-4200 monitor honored with Emmy". PostMagazine. 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "IMDB – Bill Admans". IMDB.
  18. ↑ Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "MAZITELLI David Rodney". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd. Check date values in: |year= / |date= mismatch (help);
  19. ↑ Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "McPHAIL Richard". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd. Check date values in: |year= / |date= mismatch (help);
  20. ↑ Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "MILLER (Geoff) Geoffrey Lee". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd. Check date values in: |year= / |date= mismatch (help);
  21. ↑ "Arthur Blanch". Australasian Country Music Roll of Renown. Australian Country Music Foundation. 2001. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  22. ↑ "Three Questions: Pixie Jenkins". "Sydney can turn on the waterworks". Sydney Morning Herald. 21 January 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  23. ↑ Maunder, Stuart (16 June 2006). "Not quite saving the Queen". News, Analysis and Comment. Arts Hub Australia. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  24. ↑ "Mark Coulton". Meet the Federal Team. The Nationals. 2007. Archived from the original on 4 March 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  25. ↑ "Peter Worsley". Sporting Hall of Fame. Orange City Council. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  26. ↑ http://www.fightnewsaustralia.com/index.php/component/tortags/tag/Aden_Hawke_(Fighter)?Itemid=479

External links

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