House System

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A House system was firmly established as a permanent and integral part of School life in 1950 after a number of previous not-so-successful attempts. A boarding house known as School House and three day houses, Buntine, Faulkner and Wilson all named after previous Headmasters were established. In 1961, with the move to Wembley Downs, the School was divided into seven houses: Wilson and Faulkner (boarding houses) and five day houses – Buntine, Haynes, Parry, Riley and Stirling. And then in 1966, Loton House was added as the third boarding house (to revert to a day house in 2005).  In 1992 two additional day houses, Havelock and St Georges were added. These two houses were named after the West Perth site of the School from 1914 through to 1960, and St Georges, after several sites the School occupied in St Georges Terrace during its formative years, from 1858 through to the mid-1880s. At the beginning of 2020, St Georges house was renamed Meade House after previous Headmaster Stuart Meade.
 

BUNTINE

Buntine House was named after Dr Arnold Buntine, Headmaster of Hale School between 1931 and 1945. He arrived at a time when the Great Depression had reduced School numbers appreciably. It was he, along with the Chairman of the Board, Bill Brine, who instigated the purchase of the land at Wembley Downs.

FAULKNER

Faulkner House was named after the Headmaster of the School from 1889 to 1914. Frederick Charles Faulkner came from New Zealand at a time when there were thoughts of closing the School down. Enrolments were around the same as on the first opening day, 28th June 1858. In a little over a year he managed to raise the numbers to 81 and the future of the School was assured.

HAVELOCK

At the end of 1992, it was decided to introduce two additional day houses. These were named Havelock and St Georges - after the West Perth site of the School from 1914 through to 1960, and St Georges, after several sites the School occupied in St Georges Terrace during its formative years, from 1858 through to the mid-1880s.

HAYNES

Haynes House was named after E.Y. ‘Paddy’ Haynes who re-started Bishop’s School (Hale) after it closed down temporarily in 1862. When the High School began operations in 1878 he marched his boys across St George’s Terrace to join the new fraternity, staying on as 2nd master.

LOTON

Loton House, first opened as a boarding house in 1966 - became the eighth day house.

Loton House was named in honour of Sir Thorley Loton, Chairman of the Hale School Board of Governors, 1947-56. His sons and grandsons have attended the School.


MEADE 

Previously known as St Georges House, it's name changed to Meade House in 2020 to recognise the contribution made by Mr Stuart Meade, Headmaster of Hale School between 2003-2016.

The House kept its colours of red and white; and the St Georges dragon emblem and red cross were incorporated into the new crest design. New elements of the crest include the joined hands of friendship and the Sydney Harbour Bridge representing the city of Mr Meade's birthplace.


PARRY

Parry House was named after the Dr Henry Hutton Parry, 2nd Bishop of Perth, 1876-93, Chairman of the Board of Governors and benefactor of the School. Many of his descendants have attended the School.

 RILEY

Riley House was named after Charles Owen Leaver Riley, Bishop of Perth, 1895-1914; Archbishop, 1914-1929, Chairman of the Hale School Board of Governors. He had three sons attend the School - C.L. (‘Tom’), later Bishop of Bendigo, Eric and Frank (the 1912 Rhodes Scholar for Western Australia). Riley (senior) and his sons all attended Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, the campus featured in the opening scenes of the film, ‘Chariots of Fire.’

TREGONNING

In 1988, with the retirement of Dr Ken Tregonning as Headmaster, the name of Stirling House was changed to Tregonning House.

The Tregonning crest displays in graphic form (clockwise) the career of Ken Tregonning – his undergraduate years at Adelaide University (top right), his time at New College, Oxford and his appointment as Raffles Professor of History at the University of Singapore, before returning to Perth to take up the Headmastership of Hale School in 1967.

The motto, ‘Always Challenge’ was his own choice for the boys of the House which bears his name.

WILSON

The Wilson House crest, not designed and implemented until 1995-6, denotes Mathew Wilson’s connection with Melbourne Grammar School, his membership/captaincy of the Essendon Football Club and his under-graduate period at Melbourne University. The bridge and the motto, ‘To Strive, To Seek, to Find’ are taken from Alfred Tennyson’s poem, ‘Ulysses’, denoting life’s endeavour. Wilson was Headmaster from 1915 to 1928.









 

BRINE HOUSE

The Junior boarding house, is named after a Chairman of the Board of Governors, Bill Brine. It was he who negotiated the sale of the Wembley Downs site in 1939.

The crest was adopted in 2007.
The crest denotes Bill Brine’s scholastic career, his appointment as the President of the Master Builders’ Association of Australia (Winthrop Hall at the University of W.A. and the State War Memorial in Kings Park two of his notable projects); the rising sun denotes the start of life’s pursuits by the boys in Brine House.

The motto ‘Firm Foundations’ exemplifies the caring aspects of the House.

 

THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

The four Hale Junior School Houses are named after Haleian Rhodes Scholars; Thomas Arthur Lewis (Taddy) Davy, Stanley Bruce (Bruce) Rosier, Alexander Phipps (Phipps) Turnbull and James Leonard Walker.

The symbols within the crests, moving clockwise, display in graphical form the main features of the lives of these four Haleian Rhodes Scholars. The crests follow the ancient heraldic tradition of display on the battlefield, in churches and assembly halls, to signal to their adherents the presence and influence of the person or body represented.
DAVY
The four symbols in the Davy crest display, in graphical form, the story of ‘Taddy’ Davy’s outstanding life and career. Davy, while President of the High [Hale] School Old Boys’ Association in 1924, proposed that the name of the School should be changed to Hale. It was he who carried the proposition, even guiding it through parliament to fulfilment in 1929.

In sequence on the shield, from the top and then left and continuing clockwise:
  • Hale School, 1900-09
  • Oxford University, Exeter College; studied law from 1909 to 1912. Davy graduated Bachelor of Jurisprudence and was subsequently admitted to the English bar in 1913
  • The symbol of the Royal Field Artillery, in which Davy served in France and India during the Great War.
  • The third symbol shows that Davy returned to Western Australia after the war and practised as a barrister and solicitor in Perth.
  • The fourth symbol displays Davy’s career as a member of the Western Australian parliament from 1924 until 1933, during which time he was Attorney-General, Minister of Education and Deputy Premier of the State.
Motto:  ‘Strength, Wisdom, Duty’


TURNBULL
The symbols in the Turnbull crest display, in graphical form, the story of Phipps Turnbull’s life and career.In sequence on the shield, from the top and continuing clockwise:-

  • Hale School, 1898 – 1907. Turnbull was a boarder from Esperance
  • Oxford University - Merton College, 1907-1910. Turnbull graduated with a Bachelor of Jurisprudence (1st Class Honours)
  • Called to the English Bar, 1911
  • Barrister & Solicitor, Perth, 1912-14
  • 2nd Lieutenant, West Australian 10th Light Horse Regiment, 1914
  • Killed in Action at ‘The Nek’, 7th August, 1915. This was graphically shown in the finals scenes of Peter Weir’s film, ‘GALLIPOLI’
Motto:  ‘Honour, courage, commitment’


WALKER
The symbols in the Walker crest display, in graphical form, the story of James Walker’s life and career.In sequence on the shield, from the top and continuing clockwise:

  • Hale School, 1899-1904
  • Oxford University, Trinity College, 1904-07. Walker graduated with a Bachelor of Arts – Jurisprudence
  • Solicitor-General and Senior Parliamentary Draftsman, W.A, 1934-46.
  • Puisne Judge, Supreme Court of W.A., 1946-55
  • President and Life Member of the Western Australian Lawn Tennis Association
Motto:  ‘Leaders Among Men'


ROSIER
The three symbols in the Rosier crest display, in graphical form, the story of Bishop Stanley [Bruce] Rosier’s life and career.In sequence on the shield, from the top and continuing clockwise:

  • Hale School, 1941-44
  • The crest of the University of Western Australia where he studied from 1945 to 1949, and from which he graduated Bachelor of Science.
  • Oxford University, Christchurch College, at which he studied from 1950 to 1953. Rosier graduated with a Master’s degree in theology
  • The symbol of a Bishop of the Anglican Church. Rosier was Bishop of Willochra, South Australia from 1970 until 1987




 

Motto: ‘Striving for Excellence’