Kanahooka High School
Encyclopedia
Kanahooka High School is a comprehensive public high school located in the suburb of Kanahooka
, 15 kilometres (9 mi) southwest of the city of Wollongong
, New South Wales
, Australia
. Opening in 1974, the school's catchment area
covers the southwestern part of the City of Wollongong
and, as at Semester 2, 2007, the school has an enrolment of 616 students between Year 7 and Year 12.
, said to mean "burial place of Hooka". Hooka was an Aboriginal
chief living in the Berkeley
area around the time of European settlement.
The school first opened on 29 January 1974 under principal R.C.H. (Bob) Everitt, with 400 students in years 7 and 8. Due to bad weather and material shortages, demountables at Dapto High School
were used until the school was completed. On 18 October 1974 they moved to the new site at Robert and Joan Streets. The school first offered Higher School Certificate subjects in 1978. The school's population peaked at 1,164 students in 1983. With changes to demographics and the opening of other schools in the area, the school population fell to a relatively stable 650 in the late 1990s.
The school has had many notable students including Craig Fitzgibbon
, Troy Gaucer, Mitch Christen, Noel Spencer
, Louise Mc Paul and Thestle Moylan.
The school now has about 80 staff, 44 of whom are teachers.
Kanahooka, New South Wales
Kanahooka is a southern suburb in Wollongong City Council.It has a couple of shops and a playground.Thirroul road has Kanahooka High School which is close to Dapto....
, 15 kilometres (9 mi) southwest of the city of Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
, New South Wales
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...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Opening in 1974, the school's catchment area
Catchment area (human geography)
In human geography, a catchment area is the area and population from which a city or individual service attracts visitors or customers. For example, a school catchment area is the geographic area from which students are eligible to attend a local school...
covers the southwestern part of the City of Wollongong
City of Wollongong
The City of Wollongong is a Local Government Area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Freeway and the South Coast railway line....
and, as at Semester 2, 2007, the school has an enrolment of 616 students between Year 7 and Year 12.
History
The school was named for a point at the western shore of Lake IllawarraLake Illawarra
Lake Illawarra is a large coastal lagoon located in the city of Wollongong about 100 km south of Sydney, New South Wales.The lake receives runoff from the Illawarra escarpment through Macquarie Rivulet and Mullet Creek, and has a narrow tidal entrance to the sea at Windang...
, said to mean "burial place of Hooka". Hooka was an Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
chief living in the Berkeley
Berkeley, New South Wales
Berkeley is a suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales. The suburb is located in Wollongong's southern suburbs, on the northern shore of Lake Illawarra....
area around the time of European settlement.
The school first opened on 29 January 1974 under principal R.C.H. (Bob) Everitt, with 400 students in years 7 and 8. Due to bad weather and material shortages, demountables at Dapto High School
Dapto High School
Dapto High School is a high school located in Dapto, New South Wales, Australia. It was opened in 1958 and has around 935 students enrolled. The current principal is Mr Andrew FitzSimons....
were used until the school was completed. On 18 October 1974 they moved to the new site at Robert and Joan Streets. The school first offered Higher School Certificate subjects in 1978. The school's population peaked at 1,164 students in 1983. With changes to demographics and the opening of other schools in the area, the school population fell to a relatively stable 650 in the late 1990s.
The school has had many notable students including Craig Fitzgibbon
Craig Fitzgibbon
Craig "Fitzy" Fitzgibbon is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for Hull in the European Super League and previously the Sydney Roosters of the NRL. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative forward, he is the son of former rugby league player and...
, Troy Gaucer, Mitch Christen, Noel Spencer
Noel Spencer
Noel Spencer was an Australian football player.-NSL:Noel played for his hometown of Wollongong from 1996–2000 and was part of Wollongong Wolves championship-winning team of the 1999/2000 season. After the championship win Noel left for Northern Spirit which he played for and later captained until...
, Louise Mc Paul and Thestle Moylan.
The school now has about 80 staff, 44 of whom are teachers.