Homebush Boys High

Homebush Boys High School

Homebush Boys High School, founded in 1936, is a comprehensive, public high school for boys. It is located in Homebush, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Homebush Boys is regarded as one of the academically best-performing comprehensive schools, and has, in the past, been ranked above selective schools on the Higher School Certificate results.

The school has an enrolment of approximately 1200 students, fluctuating from year to year. The students and staff come from diverse backgrounds and many of them live outside the area.

Curriculum

The school has nine faculties, being English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, History, Music, Languages, Art, industrial art, and PD/H/PE.

The 2003 Fellowship report noted that students at the school had much higher rates of literacy than the average in the state, and that the proportion of students in the upper achievement bands increased with each year of attendance. It described this as "a remarkable achievement for a school where 85% of the boys come from a non-English-speaking background."

Homebush Boys is a consistent achiever in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) outcome, averaging 5–10 students achieving the Premier's Award every year. In 2004, a student became the first Homebush Boy to score 100 Universities Admission Index (UAI).

Extra-curricular activities

Drum Corps – The drum corps participates in the annual Burwood march, the ANZAC march through the streets of Sydney City, the Sandakan service at Burwood and reserve forces day.
Chess Team – The school offers senior, intermediate and junior chess teams which participate every Friday afternoon against other schools in the area.
Debate Team
Mock UN
Public Speaking – Examples include the Toastmasters challenge that the school participates in annually.
Tournament of the Minds.

Notable alumni

Administration

John Coates AO – lawyer and businessman; president of the Australian Olympic Committee, member of the International Olympic Committee
John Symond – Businessman; chief executive "Aussie Home Loans", Science and education
Richard Collins – Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Sydney
Ian Dance – Emeritus Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, University of New South Wales
Stephen Leeder – Medical scientist; Dean of Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney (1996-2002). Director of the Australian Health Policy Institute
Alan Pettigrew – Scientist; from 2006 vice-chancellor of The University of New England, formerly (to 2005) chief executive officer of the National Health and Medical Research Council
Danny Stiel AM – Gastro-intestinal oncologist; member of AOC Medical Commission and formerly chief medical officer at the 2000 Sydney Olympics Entertainment and the arts
Paul Furniss – Australian jazz musician Politics and law
Bohdan Bilinsky – Lawyer and legal academic, Fellow of Senate, University of Sydney
Bob Debus – Former NSW politician, state attorney-general and environment minister
Roderick Howie – Lawyer and jurist; judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
Jim Lloyd former Federal Government Minister Sport
Rodney Blake – Rugby union player for Australia and Queensland Reds
Gordon Bray AM – Sports commentator, journalist and writer.
Tony Ford – Rugby League player; fullback with Western Suburbs DRLFC, having played over 100 first grade matches.
Arthur Summons – Rugby Union and rugby league player; international representative in both codes and former captain Western Suburbs DRLFC and Australian rugby league teams
Phillip Hughes (cricketer) – NSW cricketer.

Criminals

Wade Frankum – Perpetrator of the Strathfield Massacre (also attended Newington College)
Roger Rogerson Former detective
Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan – Members of the Bali Nine.

Notable former staff

Dave Anderson – Australian Olympic oarsman in 1952 and 1956 Rowed King's Cup 1950, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57; Henley 1952; New Zealand 1951; and was in winning coxed-4s crew at Empire Games, 1954
Vincent Durick – Maths teacher; MLA for Lakemba, 1964–84, deceased 1996.