AUSTRALIAN FOLKLORE UNIT

SCHOOL SONGS

Please send your memories to the collection.

School songs are patriotic-style songs traditionally sung at school assemblies and particularly on special occasion days.

They are mostly Victorian in origin and therefore sound rather "twee" to our 21st century tastes. Their words are also contrived, as is some of the poetic rhyme. (I am generalizing here but the majority of these songs appear to be of this style.)

The majority of school songs still being performed appear to be those of girls' schools. It is common knowledge that boys feel uncomfortable singing, especially teenagers whose voices are changing with adolescence.

Unlike the war cries these songs are usually taught as part of the school music program.

The school song of St Joseph's College, Nudgee, Brisbane

(what I can remember)

Songs associated with Parramatta High School

I am indebted to Sandra Nixon who runs the Loaded Dog Folk Club in Sydney for sending me details of the songs associated with Parramatta High School. This is a fine example of how songs develop.

Hornsby High School

I work at the National Film and Sound Archive and I heard that you were interested in collecting school songs. Not sure if you have the one from Hornsby Girls' High School, but here it is. We also had a Sports Song but I don't think I still have that. I LOVE this school song - it's so poetic, Anglo-centric, and non 'rah-rah' that it makes me laugh every time I think of it. [- Sue Terry]

Hornsby Girls' High School Song

(at least it was in the 1970s)
To the tune of 'The Vicar of Bray'

De La Salle College Kingsgrove

I think the song's composer was John Shortis's father.
(Shortis and Simpson)
thanks to Nick Weare

Double Bay (Sydney)

thanks to Jill Waddy

Telopea Park School
The following school anthem from Telopea Park School goes to the tune of an arrangement of the duet from The Pearl Fishers - In The Depths of the Temple. We've heard it mentioned on ABC FM radio a few times when they've played the original. The kids sing it in the two languages at every assembly. I've got the sheet music (in duet form) with French and English lyrics, and I have the arrangement on CD which is used as the accompaniment at assemblies. Our 85-year-old school (Telopea) used to have a terrible anthem to the German tune of 'O Christmas Tree' (We'll keep the red flag flying high) It was ghastly and not at all appropriate for when it became a French bi-national, bilingual school 21 years ago, so they asked me to write a new one, which I thought should have a French flavour, hence the Bizet. The 'colours' mentioned represent the different nationalities and all their different coloured skin. Gough Whitlam, a former Telopea Park pupil, would have sung the ghastly German tune.

Song For Telopea

thanks to Patricia Beaton
Weston ACT

Enmore Boys High

Dean Thomas

I went to high school at Enmore Boys High. And in spite of the first line, it is now a TAFE I think. The words for the school song were:
Enmore our school whose lamp forever burn,
Light, wisdom give us and strength to seek and learn.
Teach us the good to know the dross to spurn,
Honour to Enmore. Honour to Enmore High.

The tune was taken from a hymn, the name of which escapes me. But where the school song says Honour to Enmore, the hymn goes Hallelujah. When singing it in assembly we changed the word school to jail.

West Pymble Public School

I went to West Pymble Public School, Sydney - l left in 1986. I can't quite remember it all but here's our song. Our school motto was "Work Work and Smile"

West Pymble Public School (Sydney)

thanks to Liz Taggart-Speers

Sacred Heart College, Ballarat East

Marita Blood

This was a beauty. School motto was "raise thine eyes aloft".

SHC we love and bless you
Proud we are that we possess you
Alma mater school of learning
................... yearning

Killara High School

Chloe Roweth

A truly ordinary piece of poetry. There were verses too, which I don't recall (they didn't attempt to make us sing it, just played a recording over the intercom). Sorry it's not more interesting...

Killara, Killara,
School we proudly claim
We will always remember
To bring honour to your name.