Richmond High School opened it’s doors on Tuesday 7th February 1967.
61 boys and 31 girls were housed in 4 portable classrooms in the grounds of Brighton Street State Primary School*, Brighton Street, Richmond | Map.
By 1968, Richmond High School had grown to 8 portable classrooms but was still located at the back of Brighton Street State Primary School.
In 1969, the teachers, staff and pupils assisted moving the school to it’s purpose built home on the banks of the Yarra River near Bridge Road, Richmond | Map.
In 1987 it was announced Richmond High School would amalgamate with Richmond Technical School and become Richmond Secondary College. Officially Richmond Secondary College was born in 1988.
After a well publicised fight, Richmond Secondary College closed its doors in 1992, and today the building and grounds are home to Melbourne Girls College.
History (Source: Facebook page)
This Richmond High School opened its doors on the 7th February 1967 to 61 boys and 31 girls in 4 temporary classrooms in the grounds of Brighton Street Primary School.
In 1970, staff and pupils assisted moving the school to its new home on the banks of the Yarra River near Bridge Road Richmond.
This from Bruce Hearn: “On our first morning at our new school I arrived before 6 am with sandwiches and a thermos and sat on the steps of the school foyer, just so I would forever be the first student ever to attend RHS. I still rate this my finest achievement in life and it’s been all downhill since! ”
It eventually closed under the Kennett regime, and the ensuing stand-in protest saw the use of truncheons by the police in a very heavy-handed technique to disperse the crowd, which made headlines and news broadcasts back then.
Today the building and grounds are home to Melbourne Girls College.
Most students hailed from local primary schools, here’s a few:
- Richmond Central
https://www.facebook.com/groups/76870946114/ - Richmond West
https://www.facebook.com/richmondwestps?fref=ts - Burnley Primary School
https://www.facebook.com/groups/29852140312/?fref=ts - St Ignatius Primary School Richmond
https://www.facebook.com/groups/401566006579543/?fref=ts - St James Primary School – North Richmond
https://www.facebook.com/groups/100538830036928/?fref=ts - Cremorne St Primary School
https://www.facebook.com/CremorneStreetPS - Yarra Park
https://www.facebook.com/groups/52016230922/?fref=ts
http://www.yarraps.vic.edu.au/history-yarra-primary
http://www.yarraps.vic.edu.au/ - Auburn Primary School
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2376895558/
General Information
Files relating to Richmond High School (1967- 1992) were moved to the Victoria’s State Archives office | Public Records Office Victoria along with files from Richmond Secondary College [VPRS-9654-P1].
A large quantity of material from the school was lodged with the Yarra Library in Church Street during the occupation of the site in 1993.
* Brighton Street Primary School is now named Richmond Primary School and is located in the block bordered by Barkly, Burgess, Mary and Brighton Streets in Richmond. The school was opened in 1874. In the late 1980’s Brighton Street, Burnley Primary School and Cremorne Street Primary were amalgamated to form the new Richmond Primary School.