The School, Mount Victoria, also known as The School, Mt Victoria, was an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

for boys, located in Mount Victoria, a small township in the Blue Mountains of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It was located approximately via road from

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and above sea-level.

History

Opened on 18 July 1885, the school was designed and run by the

proprietor Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...

and principal Henry Guenther Rienits (1851 –1928). Although Rienits was a naturalized Australian citizen, he was of German birth and so was forced by war-time legislation to close The School during 1916.

Campus and facilities

The campus was situated amongst ornamental trees and gardens on eight acres. The main building contained a large schoolroom, dining hall and lavatories on the ground floor, with dormitories on the upper floor. Facilities included a

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

fed by springs,

rifle range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice or competitions. Some shooting ranges are operated by military ...

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...

and

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational i ...

nasium.

Students and studies

The students came from the suburbs of Sydney and from the far west of the state. The School generally provided a commercial education with an emphasis on business, bookkeeping and shorthand, leading to the junior certificate. Pupils were also prepared for

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

entry if required. By 1906, more than 600 boys had attended The School, and 90 students had passed different examinations leading to tertiary study. The boys wore a uniform and there was a drum and fife band.

Notable alumni

* Air Vice Marshal

William Bostock Air Vice Marshal William Dowling Bostock, (5 February 1892 – 28 April 1968) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). During World War II he led RAAF Command, the Air Force's main operational formation, with resp ...

CB, DSO, OBE (1892 –1968), a senior commander in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

A. D. Garrisson, 'Bostock, William Dowling (1892–1968)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University
Retrieved 23 April 2013.

(1877 –1955), Chief Geologist,

Geological Survey of Queensland The Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ) is the Australian state of Queensland's government body responsible for the management of geoscience knowledge. It is a unit within the Government of Queensland's Department of Natural Resources, Mines and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:School, Mount Victoria Defunct schools in New South Wales Educational institutions established in 1885 Former boarding schools in New South Wales Defunct boys' schools in Australia 1885 establishments in Australia Mount Victoria, New South Wales Educational institutions disestablished in 1916