John Waterhouse (headmaster)
Encyclopedia
John Waterhouse was an Australian principal who was headmaster of two of New South Wales
first public boys high schools.
, the second son of the Wesleyan
minister Jabez Bunting Waterhouse
. With his father's ministry taking the family around Australia, his early education was varied. Waterhouse started school in a small country town in South Australia before attending St Peter's College, Adelaide
in 1860. When the family moved to Maitland, New South Wales
he attended Dr Frazer's Grammar School for a short period before being enrolled as a boarding student at Newington College
in 1865. At Newington he later became a pupil-teacher, before graduating MA
from the University of Sydney
in 1876. In July 1880 when Newington moved from Silverwater
to Stanmore
Waterhouse was the one assistant master supporting President Joseph Horner Fletcher
and Headmaster Joseph Coates
.
. Sydney High opened in October 1883 and as Coates could not leave Newington until the end of the year, John Waterhouse was appointed to open the school. His letter of appointment clearly names him "Headmaster" and so he is rightly regarded as the founder of Sydney High. At the beginning of 1884 he opened Maitland. In 1889, he was appointed Inspector of Schools in the Dungog region. Whilst in Dungog tragedy struck in 1894 when Waterhouse's wife and daughter drowned in Wellington Harbour
. He was left as a widower with a seven year old son. In January 1896, Waterhouse transferred to the Lithgow district, but this position was to be short-lived. In July 1896, he was appointed headmaster of Sydney Boys' High School. and became a resident of Chatswood
. He took on a school that had suffered as a result of the 1890s economic crisis and the degenerative illness of its first Headmaster, Joseph Coates. Over the next nineteen years, Waterhouse was to lead the revitalisation of Sydney High School. The enrolment increased from just over 100 in 1896 to 350 in 1906 and 422 in 1915. Academic results at the public examinations during his term were outstanding and the school was admitted to the GPS in 1906. Waterhouse retired as Headmaster of Sydney High in 1915 on medical advice. His doctors had given him only two years to live. He lived to spend 25 years in retirement.
and ornithology
. During his appointment in Maitland he was associated with Professor Sir Edgeworth David
and his work on the Greta
coal
seam.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
first public boys high schools.
Early life
Waterhouse was born in Campbell Town, TasmaniaCampbell Town, Tasmania
Campbell Town is a town in Tasmania, Australia, located on the Midland Highway. At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 772.Campbell Town was originally one of the four garrison towns linking Hobart and Launceston. Today, it acts as the only major rest area on the Midland Highway, with...
, the second son of the Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
minister Jabez Bunting Waterhouse
Jabez Waterhouse
Jabez Bunting Waterhouse was an English-born Australian Methodist minister and a leading legislator within conference.-Early life:...
. With his father's ministry taking the family around Australia, his early education was varied. Waterhouse started school in a small country town in South Australia before attending St Peter's College, Adelaide
St Peter's College, Adelaide
St Peter's College, , is an independent boy's school in the South Australian capital of Adelaide...
in 1860. When the family moved to Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
he attended Dr Frazer's Grammar School for a short period before being enrolled as a boarding student at Newington College
Newington College
Newington College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
in 1865. At Newington he later became a pupil-teacher, before graduating MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
in 1876. In July 1880 when Newington moved from Silverwater
Silverwater, New South Wales
Silverwater is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Silverwater is located 20 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council....
to Stanmore
Stanmore, New South Wales
Stanmore is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. Stanmore is located 6 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of Marrickville Council.-History:...
Waterhouse was the one assistant master supporting President Joseph Horner Fletcher
Joseph Horner Fletcher
Joseph Horner Fletcher was a West Indies-born Methodist minister of English descent and was the founding Principal of Wesley College, Auckland and the second President of Newington College, Sydney.-Early life:...
and Headmaster Joseph Coates
Joseph Coates
Joseph Coates was an English-born Australian schoolmaster and cricketer.-Early life:Coates was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, the son of Joseph, a cordwainer, and his wife Ellen...
.
Educationalist
In September 1883 Joseph Coates successfully applied for the headmastership of the soon to be established Sydney Boys' High School and Waterhouse as head of Maitland High SchoolMaitland High School
Maitland High School is situated in East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia on High Street. Established in 1884 and operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, the school currently caters for approximately 800 students from Years 7 to 12, and is situated near its sister...
. Sydney High opened in October 1883 and as Coates could not leave Newington until the end of the year, John Waterhouse was appointed to open the school. His letter of appointment clearly names him "Headmaster" and so he is rightly regarded as the founder of Sydney High. At the beginning of 1884 he opened Maitland. In 1889, he was appointed Inspector of Schools in the Dungog region. Whilst in Dungog tragedy struck in 1894 when Waterhouse's wife and daughter drowned in Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour is the large natural harbour at the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. New Zealand's capital, Wellington, is on the western side of Wellington Harbour. The harbour was officially named Port Nicholson until it assumed its current name in the 1980s.In Māori the harbour is...
. He was left as a widower with a seven year old son. In January 1896, Waterhouse transferred to the Lithgow district, but this position was to be short-lived. In July 1896, he was appointed headmaster of Sydney Boys' High School. and became a resident of Chatswood
Chatswood, New South Wales
Chatswood is a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Chatswood is located 10 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Willoughby. Chatswood West is a separate suburb...
. He took on a school that had suffered as a result of the 1890s economic crisis and the degenerative illness of its first Headmaster, Joseph Coates. Over the next nineteen years, Waterhouse was to lead the revitalisation of Sydney High School. The enrolment increased from just over 100 in 1896 to 350 in 1906 and 422 in 1915. Academic results at the public examinations during his term were outstanding and the school was admitted to the GPS in 1906. Waterhouse retired as Headmaster of Sydney High in 1915 on medical advice. His doctors had given him only two years to live. He lived to spend 25 years in retirement.
Scientific interests
One of his retirement hobbies was fossils and his name is perpetuated in the Nuculana Waterhousei which he discovered. Waterhouse was also interested in geologyGeology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and ornithology
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
. During his appointment in Maitland he was associated with Professor Sir Edgeworth David
Edgeworth David
Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David KBE, DSO, FRS, was a Welsh Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer. A household name in his lifetime, David's most significant achievements were discovering the major Hunter Valley coalfield in New South Wales and leading the first expedition to reach the...
and his work on the Greta
Greta, New South Wales
Greta is a small town in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia in Cessnock City Council. It has a population of around 1000 people. It is largely a commuter town located midway between Cessnock, Singleton and Maitland...
coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
seam.
See also
- Jabez WaterhouseJabez WaterhouseJabez Bunting Waterhouse was an English-born Australian Methodist minister and a leading legislator within conference.-Early life:...
- Father - Walter Waterhouse - Son
- Joseph WaterhouseJoseph Waterhouse (minister)Joseph Waterhouse was an English-born Australian Methodist minister and missionary in Fiji. He is credited with having converted, to Christianity, Cakobau, chief of Bau and King of Fiji.-Early life:...
- Uncle