Penrith High Towers-Alumni

Welcome to the most recent edition of Towers Alumni. Term 3 is always such a whirlwind and it is this time of the year when we find it difficult to comprehend that we are three quarters of the way through yet another academic year.

For the third year in a row, I am delighted to share that we have received a record number of applications for entry in Years 8 -11 at our school. On the first Saturday of August, over 400 students came to PSHS to sit the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST) with hopes of attending our school in 2024.

My thanks extend to the selection committee, administration staff and invigilators who help manage and implement this process. Particular thanks to Ms Doris Lee and Mr Anthony Vassallo for assisting with the coordination of the examination on a Saturday!

Earlier in the year, the school was also highlighted in the Sydney Morning Herald, as a selective school doing what it can to promote the value of a selective school education to young girls and we have seen, through the 8-11 application process, a strong increase in the number of girls seeking admission. You can read the full article here:

How one Sydney selective school is trying to attract more girls

Speaking of high performing girls, we are delighted to welcome back Alumna Jasmeen Kaur who is the latest of our talented ex-students to join our Alumni Learning Lab initiative. Jasmeen is back as a small group coach, working with our senior Chemistry students on a Thursday afternoon. Welcome back, Jasmeen!

Finally, our Alumni Garden was constructed to mark the 70th anniversary of our school in 2020. The area at the front of the school features a long pathway with personalised pavers which have been purchased by current and former students, families and staff in addition to a beautiful gazebo and a collection of over 60 standard roses and a boxed hedge.

If you are interested in purchasing a paver for inclusion in the Alumni Garden, you can find details on how to do so by visiting our website:

https://penrith-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/alumni/alumni-garden.html

My thanks to our Towers Alumni editor, Cathie Fayle, who takes such care in compiling wonderful news, stories, memories and photos to share in each edition of this newsletter. Please share this publication as you see fit and get in touch with our editor, Ms Cathie Fayle, should you have any photos and stories for us to share in our Term 4 edition to penrith-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au (attention to Cathie Fayle).

Yours sincerely,

Jaclyn Cush

Relieving Principal

As Year 12 focuses their minds on the HSC, we welcome a new group of senior leaders to take the reins. It is with great pleasure we announce the results following the 2023/24 School Captain, Vice Captain and Senior Prefect voting:

Captain - Angelo Varghese-Paul

Captain - Cassidy Lauguico

Vice-Captain - Dhruvil Patel

Vice-Captain - Raya Mandana

Senior Prefect - Pranavan Rajeshkannan

Senior Prefect - Hazel Malhotra

In addition to this all Prefect Interns have successfully completed their internship and we look forward to recognising all the 2023/24 student leaders in the formal Induction Ceremony.

Earlier this year, I finally finished my Gold Duke of Ed!

I completed 52 hours of physical activity, volunteering, and skill development. I maintained general fitness, was a Duke of Ed assistant and learnt the guitar. I completed my practice and qualifying journeys, going to the Warrumbungle National Park and climbing to the top of Bluff Mountain for an awesome sunrise. The Gold Award also requires participants to undergo a Residential Journey, for which I did the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge (KYLC). I was lucky enough to be sponsored to hike the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea alongside forty other 16-24 year olds. I met lots of great people, immersed myself in the local culture, learned more of the Track’s historical significance, while in the midst of the beautiful but unforgiving mountains and rainforests of Papua New Guinea.

I am forever grateful for my Duke of Ed experience. I learnt to manage my time by balancing my Duke of Ed commitments and school, and also learnt the importance of regular exercise and community service. I gained more confidence in myself, which allowed me to try new things and push myself out of my comfort zone. I also got the chance to travel within New South Wales and overseas, where I fostered a love for the outdoors. The program gave me some of my favourite memories from high school.

I am currently in my third year of studying a Bachelor of Cyber Security and Laws at Macquarie University. Through the Gold Duke of Ed and the KYLC, I was able to pick from all of the courses Macquarie offered through their Leaders and Achievers Scheme. If you have the time and resources, I highly recommend joining Duke of Ed!

This year large numbers of Science students have participated in many external competitions and tests. These include: ICAS Reach Science, ICAS Science, Physics Olympiad, Chemistry Olympiad, Biology Olympiad, Junior Olympiad, and the International Chemistry Quiz. The earliest reporting from ICAS and the International Chemistry Quiz reveals that our students have achieved outstanding results.

At assembly in Week 5, which coincided with Science Week, students who achieved scores of 97% and above were given their certificates for ICAS Reach Science and the International Chemistry Quiz. We must give special mention to Tomas Coghill of Year 10(pictured below) who achieved a perfect score, 100% in ICAS Reach Science.

On 3 May, 14 students competed in the one hour online Computational and Algorithmic Thinking Competition. Overall, they achieved 5 Distinctions, 7 Credits and 2 Participation Certificates, with Jacob Veloso and Rytham Singla achieving our best results. This is our best result to date in this competition.

The names of the students who achieved Credits and Distinctions are in the photo below:

Back row: Parth Patel, Harry Le, Vedang Purohit, Jacob Veloso, Lawrence Chen, Sean Kim, Timothy Gonzales

Front row: Kirk Murillo, Mahi Bora, Yatish Varmora, Rytham Singla

Thank you to the Mathematics Faculty for organising this event.

We recently had the pleasure of hosting a group of 12 Japanese exchange students from the city of Hakusan, where we shared unforgettable experiences filled with cultural exchange and enthralling activities. Your Hakusan Prefects - Akash Godiyal, Sameer Mahajan, Aayush Barua, Hillary Gosal and Sudhiksha Karthik - worked hard with Mrs Sullivan to welcome them to our school community providing friendship and connection. The program was divided into numerous activities within and outside of the classroom.

One of the many activities held was the Art Workshop led by Ms Berry. The Japanese exchange students had the opportunity to learn the watercolours of unique Australian plants and flowers. They created postcards which they could take home as souvenirs.

Some of the other activities included a Table Tennis Tournament, Aussie food taste testing, a Kendama Competition, as well as plenty of other activities to give the exchange students an authentic taste of Australian life, fused with a Japanese twist. The Hakusan students were invited to see the passionate learning within our classrooms too, where they experienced a day in the life of an Aussie Penrith High School student. From Table Tennis Competitions to singing local favourites with the Year 11 music class, the Hakusan exchange program generated many enriching memories for our students, and the exchange students alike.

Last but not least, we organised a barbeque for their last day here in Australia with some delicious foods. This exchange program had been a memorable experience for all and many new friends and connections were created.

We would like to thank all host-families. Without your generous contribution and hospitality, we could not run this fantastic exchange program.

INTERVIEWS FROM HOST STUDENTS

Name: Sophie Dahiya

Year: 9ENG4

Host Student Name: Hana

What was your favourite memory from this journey?

We used to play boardgames which was really fun. She usually wouldn’t understand other activities, but because board games were so universal, we used to have so much fun.

Were there any language barriers? Was it hard to communicate?

It wasn’t too hard to communicate, but sometimes for longer sentences we would have to use google translate. Or we would convert the longer sentences to shorter, two or three words. Like, instead of saying “come down to eat”, we would simply say “eat downstairs”. Also, movies and TV shows rarely had Japanese subtitles so we mostly resorted to board games, like I said before, and Mr. Bean.

Would you do this again? (host another exchange student)

Yes, 100%! It was one of the most exciting and satisfying experiences of my life.

The two of us still text and I am really looking forward to going to Japan as an exchange student myself.

Name: Nhi Tran

Host Student Name: Miyuki

What was the highlight from the exchange program?

I really enjoyed my time overall with the Japanese students, they were very respectful and kind and it was refreshing learning about different cultures. We went to the zoo and it was really fun seeing how excited they got. It made me appreciate Australian life in a new light.

Was there anything that you learnt from this experience as a host student?

Since I take Japanese Continuers, I was able to practise my Japanese in daily conversations with my exchange student, so it was really fun.

Would you do this again? (host another exchange student)

Definitely! This was such a great experience and even though there may be some language barriers, I think it's really important and just fun overall to understand different cultural traditions and still be connected.

Name: Ken Labiga

Year: 11ENG7

Host Student Name: Nanaho

What were your first impressions? How did this change over the course of the program?

Meeting Nanaho for the first time was something really exciting and new to me. I had never housed anyone who came from overseas and I was eager to learn more about Japanese culture, as well as let her experience ours. One of my concerns that popped up in my head was communication from language barriers. Over the course of Nanaho's stay, many places were visited around Sydney to show off its attractions. Nanaho was pretty quick to adapt into my family, and was able to make many friends at Penrith. She was also very welcomed which helped make a smooth transition. Through such close interaction showing her around Sydney, it allowed us to create a long-lasting friendship.

If you were to do anything differently, what would it have been?

If there was anything I would do differently it would have been to ask more questions to learn about Japan. I also wish we could have finished the anime we got half through watching, Violet Evergarden.

Would you consider doing another program in Japan after this experience?

Of course, the Japanese culture that I have seen has been really enticing. I've heard from Nanaho about the cultural attractions such as shrines, mountains and generally just places with nice scenery. I would love to try traditional Japanese food first-hand, especially within the Japanese night-life after seeing them through social media and pictures that Nanaho has showed me. I also really want to see the famous cherry blossom trees and eat their food.

The next episode of The Penrith Perception is out on Spotify.

In this episode, the team speaks to two year 9 students, Srushti Rao and Harry Cho, who are keen to share their experiences about our Basketball Enrichment. They talk ball skills, practice, theory and everything else in between.

On Multicultural Day this year we had a visit from Dismitha Maha - Clas of '22, Japesh Marwaha - Class of '22 and Eric Ruan - Class of '22.

Dismitha is studying a Bachelor of Medical Science at Sydney University and was featured in the TA Term 1 Newsletter '23.

Japesh is studying a Bachelor of Actuarial Studies with Computer Science at the University of NSW.

Eric is studying a Bachelor of Biomedicine/Provisional Entry Medicine at the University of Queensland.

We wish them well.

In late August we received a visit from Deep Batra - Class of '22 and Alan Steny - Class of '22 .

Deep is studying Construction Management at UNSW.

Deep says "Penrith helped me with good study habits and dealing with competitiveness academically. Penrith HSC internals were 10 times harder than Uni academic studies."

Alan is studying Actuary and Commerce also at the UNSW.

We wish them well.

1. Did you enjoy studying Mathematics?

Originally, I thought of Maths like any other subject and only did it for the sake of getting good grades. Although I liked solving logic puzzles and riddles, I had no interest in doing Maths any more than Science or English, but I still paid enough attention and made sure I got good grades. It was in year 6 when my Maths Teacher made Maths fun for me. She made the class play games using playing cards, rolling dice and just standard multiplication. After that, carrying onto high school, I thought of Maths as the “fun” subject. Anytime that I had a lot of work for different subjects I would prioritise doing the Maths work as I enjoyed doing this. Around year 9, I started joining Maths Competitions and that’s when all of Maths started coming together. I was using Maths learnt in class for problems outside the syllabus. At this point, I started to really enjoy Maths and see how it can actually help outside of just school. I started putting more effort into it and started to actually prepare for these competitions. The more effort I put in, the better I got. The better I got, the more I enjoyed Maths! The more I enjoyed Maths, the more effort I put in, and this kept happening all throughout the rest of high school.

2. When did you start thinking about aiming for a state rank?

I thought of getting a state rank from around midway through Year 8 but never really did any extra work for it. I just learnt the content of what I was meant to learn and aimed to do well in the exams. It was in year 11 when I fully considered the possibility of actually receiving a state rank. I spoke with Mrs Briggs and Mr Huynh to gain an insight into how I could get a state ranking. They both emphasised that it wasn’t just answering the questions correctly but how you did it and the presentation of my solutions. At this point, I still didn’t put any extra effort on achieving this, except for staying on top of the content. It was once I had learnt all the content for the HSC syllabus, which was around the end of term 1 Year 12 that I changed. After this, to study for Maths I used to look at the past HSC papers. From the start, I would get all the questions right until the last 3-4. So, my focus afterwards was to make sure that I can do ALL the questions, including those last questions. The better I got at answering those last questions in the papers, the more real and achievable my goal for the state rank became.

3. What did you do extra?

Other than the normal work which my friends and I did together in class or in preparation for exams, I also did competition level Maths. Competition level Maths forces you to think past just the formulas and to the actual theory, concepts and the motivation behind each formula. It ensures you have a good understanding of logic. This type of knowledge is what is crucial to solving those last few questions for the HSC paper. So, as I learnt new formulas in school, I made sure I knew how and why it was derived. Even simple formulas like the area of a circle, area of a triangle to more complex formulas, I made sure I knew how they were “discovered”. This, in my opinion, is one of the major differences in what I did compared to others around me.

4. How did you change what you did during examinations?

I realised around halfway through year 11 that while doing exams, if I work through questions slowly, I usually end up making a silly mistake. If I answer the questions as quickly as I can, I usually don’t make small silly mistakes like confusing a “+” with a “-” or changing the numbers around. This is because as I progress and write a new line, the previous line is still in my head. If I work slowly, I have to look back at the page and look at the equation I just wrote. So, in Maths exams, I did the questions as fast as I could (in about 20 minutes, I was usually done with more than half the paper). This meant that I usually finished a paper in about ½ the time given to me and allowed me to check my work afterwards. Checking my work was crucial as a lot of the times, I had misread the question or had a calculator error towards the very end of a question. I also ensured that I showed all my working out and wrote reasons wherever necessary.

5. How did you feel leading up to and after you found out that you did get the state ranking in Extension 2 Mathematics?

Leading up to the Extension 2 HSC, I was nervous, but I knew I was as prepared as I could be. At that point, I was able to answer all the questions from the past 10 HSC papers. During the paper, my entire focus was on making sure I didn’t make any silly mistakes (I still ended up making one) and finishing the first 15 questions of the paper as quickly as possible so I can focus on the final question. In the end, I only finished the paper with about 20 seconds to spare as question 16 took me far too long to answer. The formulas required to answer question 16 weren’t hard but knowing what to use and how to use them was what confused me. I remember staring at one of the questions for 5 minutes without having any idea of what to do. Later on, when the results came out, I was in India. The ATARs came out at 3:30 AM in India and the state ranks at 7 AM. I stayed up till 4 AM to get my ATAR and talk with my friends before going to sleep. 3 hours later, at 7 AM, one of my friends called me and told me about the state rank and I was delighted. That day, I went out and celebrated the achievement and finally felt like all the time I put into Maths was worth it.

6. Do you have any advice for Mathematics students?

Tips for our junior and senior students?

For junior students, I would advise that they do Maths Competitions and build their logic skills. I would also recommend learning the actual theory and proofs between formulas rather than rote learning a formula and knowing when to use it.

For senior students, I would advise that they get a little ahead of the pace that school teaches at. The topics you learn in school should be considered as revision rather than the first time learning it. Even if you are only 1 or 2 days ahead of school, it will make a drastic change.

7. What are you studying now?

I’m currently studying Actuarial Studies and Computer Science in UNSW

8. What things did you enjoy most about your time at Penrith High School?

At Penrith High, my most enjoyable moments weren’t my academics or extracurriculars. They were the times I spent with my friends, on breaks, in classes, or even outside of school. I tried my best to balance my social life and academics together. Even when I was studying, I used to study with my friends, either in tuition, at a library or even on Discord. More than 90% of my studying during my HSC year was done with someone. This made me actually enjoy my time at Penrith High and keeping me from being burnt out.

I'm in my third year of a Bachelor of Psychology at the ANU in Canberra. I've really been enjoying my degree, especially this year as I've had the opportunity to be part of a research project for the first time. My experiences at Penrith have really helped me with this. I think the importance of being curious and not being afraid to ask questions was emphasised by my teachers at Penrith and also applies to life beyond school, particularly in research.

I've also been working at Questacon (which is so much fun that I can't believe it's a real job!), where I get to talk to people about the exhibits and guide school groups through the centre. More recently, I started tutoring a 2nd year psychology class at the ANU, on the biological basis of behaviour. These have been really rewarding experiences and I've enjoyed getting to meet all kinds of people both through my studies and work.

In my spare time, I love playing music. Since moving to Canberra, I've joined a jazz band where I'm lucky enough to sit next to and learn from musicians who are much more experienced than I am. Some friends and I have also formed a band and we occasionally play at venues around Canberra.

I feel really lucky to have had the opportunity to study and live in Canberra. This wouldn't have been possible without my experiences at Penrith High, which taught me the importance of being open to new experiences, asking lots of questions and pursuing things that you are genuinely passionate about.

It would be much appreciated if anyone from the Class of '73 could reach out to her as she is inquiring about their 50th Anniversary.

Contact Cathie in the school library by emailing the school who will pass the message on.

penrith-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

"I recall Bob Stockton well (featured in TA Term 2 Newsletter), he taught me English and History for the 5 years I attended PHS.

I also well recall Mr Fairbairn who taught me Mathematics.

Post PHS, my wife (formerly an English/History teacher at Rooty Hill and Dunheved) and I used to visit him in his retirement in Glenbrook.

I attended his funeral.

He created my life-long interest in all thing mathematical.

I would love to hear what became of Mr Hall, who taught me English, Mr Baguley, who taught me Physics and Mr Bayfield, who taught me Chemistry. I suspect that they have probably all passed away.

Currently I am still practising as a rural General Practitioner in Casino, being one of the few older Doctors still actively at work.

When asked, I tell my patients that it was the wonderful teachers that I had, that made it possible for me to take up Medicine all those years ago".

Juriaan is keen to hear from any of his cohort about any of these teachers mentioned above.

You can write to Penrith High School - penrith-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Attention Cathie in the library who can put you in touch with Juriaan.

99 % of those born between 1930 and 1946 (worldwide) are now dead. If you were born in this time span, you are one of the rare surviving 1% ers of this special group. Their age range is between 77 and 93 years old, a 16 year age span.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE 1% ERS:

You are the smallest group of children born since the early 1900s.

You are the last generation, climbing out of the depression, who can remember the winds of war and the impact of a world at war that rattled the structure of our daily lives for years.

You are the last to remember ration books for everything from gas to sugar to shoes to stoves.

You saved tin foil and poured fried meat fat into tin cans.

You can remember milk being delivered to your house early in the morning and placed in the "milk box" on the porch.

Discipline was enforced by parents and teachers.

You are the last generation who spent childhood without television; instead, you "imagined" what you heard on the radio.

With no TV, you spent your childhood "playing outside".

There was no Little League.

There was no city playground for kids.

The lack of television in your early years meant that you had little real understanding of what the world was like.

We got "black-and-white" TV in the late 40s that had 3 stations and no remote.

Telephones were one to a house, often shared (party lines), and hung on the wall in the kitchen (no cares about privacy).

Computers were called calculators; they were hand-cranked.

Typewriters were driven by pounding fingers, throwing the carriage, and changing the ribbon.

'INTERNET' and 'GOOGLE' were words that did not exist.

Newspapers and magazines were written for adults and the news was broadcast on your radio in the evening. (your dad would give you the comic pages when he read the news)

New highways would bring jobs and mobility. Most highways were 2 lanes (no interstates).

You went downtown to shop. You walked to school.

The radio network expanded from 3 stations to thousands.

Your parents were suddenly free from the confines of the depression and the war, and they threw themselves into working hard to make a living for their families.

You weren't neglected, but you weren't today's all-consuming family focus.

They were glad you played by yourselves.

They were busy discovering the postwar world.

You entered a world of overflowing plenty and opportunity; a world where you were welcomed, enjoyed yourselves.

You felt secure in your future, although the depression and poverty were deeply remembered.

Polio was still a crippler. Everyone knew someone who had it.

You came of age in the '50s and '60s.

You are the last generation to experience an interlude when there were no threats to our homeland.

World War 2 was over and the Cold War, terrorism, global warming, and perpetual economic insecurity had yet to haunt life.

Only your generation can remember a time after WW2 when our world was secure and full of bright promise and plenty.

You grew up at the best possible time, a time when the world was getting better.

More than 99% of you are retired now, and you should feel privileged to have "lived in the best of times!"

If you have already reached the age of 77 years old, you have outlived 99% of all the other people in the world who were born in this special 16 year time span. You are a 1% 'er"!

The photo below of Skye was taken when she was in Year 7 in 1997 and she graduated in 2002.

In 2002 there were three members in the equestrian team and five in 2001.

Hilary Sinfield who graduated in 2007 also represented the school for 5 years.

Our last equestrian representative was Alexandra Williams who graduated in 2016.

Below is an excerpt from the '99 Towers

You may not have known, but some potential young Gillian Roltons attend Penrith High. Whilst

writing up this report many people have come up to us, saying “We have an equestrian team?”. The

team is very talented and has not received the recognition it deserves.

The team has been competing together for three years. The four members of the team (see photo below) are Emma Boddington, Skye Blakeney, Eliza D’Arcy Moskwa and Janine Madden, and their horses, Tommy, Comanche, Celtic and Dallas. They recently competed at the Amdell Inter-School Equestrian Championships and received a blue ribbon for first place in the ‘Team of Four Event’. As individuals, they won a second place, three thirds, two fourths and a fifth, competing amongst over 400 riders from across Australia. They have also competed in the St Pauls Grammar Dressage Championships in which Eliza achieved two eighth places and Skye one eighth place.

In the next two months they will be competing at St Pauls for the second time this year, contending in show jumping, sporting and hacking events. If anyone would like to join the school’s equestrian team please contact anyone from the team.

H. McLean, S. Dennis and B. Cleary

L-R

Back Row-Nicole Bonfield, Therese Vines, Ian Barber, Judy Bernhart, Lyn Walker, Grant Newell, Emma Le Marquand, Jeff Kilbourne, Sue Benham, Keith Lyons - School Counsellor, Jim Kopp

Front Row-Maria Ryan, Denise Zweggers, Wendy De Paoli, Rae Clapshaw, Theresa Battistella, Anne Howarth, Maxine McNally, Carolyn Brace, Rochelle Young and Kobi

Recently the TSO(Technical Support Officer) of PSHS, Mr Jayden Hemmons, has digitised many past videos and DVDs that were in the Archives.

Special events digitised include Athletics Carnivals and Swimming Carnivals and one that may interest some of our senior Alumni is the Reunion of 4A in 1952 which was held in 1990. The quality is not very great but there may be a relative of someone involved who wants to go down memory lane for this event.

Please speak to Cathie in the library if it interests you.

David, known as Dave was a very valued member of the Technology and Applied Science Faculty of Penrith High School. Having learnt his trade as a Draftsman at Sydney Water he studied at Goulburn Teachers College to become, what was known as an Industrial Arts Teacher. Penrith High was not his first teaching school, however, I think he taught here the longest.

He was a very talented craftsman. His ability with design and his craftsmanship was second to none. He had a great rapport with the students. He taught the senior students Design and Technology. Many major works gained Band 6. Numerous were spotlighted in the TAS journals and some even were in the HSC exhibitions. He nurtured his students. His calm approach was known throughout the school. Many students wanted to be in Mr Russell’s classes. His visual teaching aids are still visible in the workshops now (one pictured below). Endless worksheets and practical drawings are still in the workshops as well. He spent countless hours drawing, cutting and mounting templates so all students knew what was to be made and what it should look like.

As a long time Penrith High teacher he completed many extra curricular activities as well as taking numerous, too many to remember, sporting teams to the highest level. Boys Hockey and Cricket were a standout. He reached the state finals twice with Hockey and coached the boys Cricket team to be CHS winners in the Alan Davidson Shield in 1996(pictured below).

Dave was also the go to man for any repairs to equipment and classroom furniture. Dave and Sheena Williams from the SASS staff entered all School and HSC participants into their appropriate examinations. This was a long and tedious job. Dave never complained. That is what stands out about him. A most gentle and calming man always ready to help all.

He was the instigator of the “staff gift” - the official staff handicapped running race at every Athletics Carnival. It was a handicapped race with, maybe, some bets taken and a quirky statement about each participant. The common room used to house the winners pictures which are now in the archives. He actually built the frames for them. Such great memories. Dave was also the official starter of every race at the athletics and swimming carnivals (pictured below as well). He was always there with his earmuffs or ears plugged and starter's gun.

He knew the rules to every sport and was keen for all students to enter.

Nothing was too much for him.

At the end of Term 4 each year, Year 7 would go to Penrith Lakes and fly kites. The students would design and build their own kites. Dave was instrumental in ensuring all students produced a quality kite. He assisted the students with design, material choice and construction. He spent many a lunchtime hammering, screwing and even sewing the kite materials.

It was usually a hot sultry day culminating with a typical evening storm. Dave was in charge of the BBQ, and the majority of the excursion. It was always a great end to the Technology Course in Year 7 and an end of year celebration.

Dave was also fond of 60’s and 70’s music. This was evident when one of the TAS morning teas was 70’s themed. A picture is included. Unfortunately it is not very clear. We all dressed up. It was a great event.

The other photographs are when he was the starter at the athletics. The other is his car with his fathers number plates. We often spoke of our fathers as they had the same Christian names. A funny thing to talk about.

Dave was also a well respected Year Adviser twice as well as Sports Organiser. He worked on the Board of Studies as Coordinator for the school and some of his design students received full marks.

Memories from

Robyn Myers

TAS Teacher

In addition, Maxine McNally(long serving past PDHPE member and Sports Organiser) has added this information below.

Dave was involved in many school activities and was a very 'hands on' teacher. When the area outside Languages was redeveloped (maybe the early 90s), he was responsible for the curbing and concreting. The area was known as Classic Park. He built a BBQ near the TAS stairs. Dave's last big project was concreting the long jump pit.

The work Dave put in to enabling his students to achieve their very best in Design and Technology was second to none. His expertise and enthusiasm for achieving excellence certainly rubbed off on them.

Quote from the 2014 Towers when Dave retired.

Mr Russell has been on the TAS Staff at PHS for 26 years. He has been a wonderful teacher who has always had a smile and endeavoured to really support the students. He is very popular with both the staff and students. His contribution to the school has been highly significant.

Steve Bernhart taught Science. He was married to Judy who also taught at PHS in the English Faculty.

Steve was known for his cheeky sense of humour.

He retired in 2004.

Excerpt from the 2004 Towers:

Mr Bernhart

Believe it or not Mr Bernhart has not always been a teacher...

He has worked at a steel mill, as a welder in a bus factory, at an oil drilling company, drilling water-wells in India and as a construction worker in Germany just to name a few workplaces. As a child he wanted to be a fireman for a brief period but later had no plans in particular (sound familiar?)

Mr Bernhart has taught at about six different schools over a period of approximately 30 years. He has spent 20 years here at Penrith High School. He is just a little foggy on the details. When asked how he would describe his time at PHS the answer was “OK.”

He thinks that the painting of the school and the ‘Leaving of the Old Teachers’ are significant. Also the school becoming greener with lush growth. His memorable experiences include the time

a teacher crossed their picket line 6 years ago and the visit of Nick Greiner, the Premier of N.S.W.

Mr Bernhart’s famous last words are: “Always drive on the left side of the road.” (I wonder if that

applies in America?)

by Tanya Shreshtha

Mick taught Visual Arts in the CAPA Faculty from the late 80s until 2016. He came to Penrith from Harden High School.

Mick always said what he thought(which perhaps was not always popular!).

He always taught a senior class and achieved good results.

In the photo below from 2015 , Mick is standing in the Second Row - first on the left.

Steven was Head Teacher CAPA during 2016 and 2017.

In the photo below Steven is seated Front Row - third from the left.

Thank you to Maxine McNally(retired teacher) for her help in gathering some of the information above.

It is much appreciated.

If anyone has any further information they would like to share re the above In Memoriam articles, please feel free to email the school on penrith-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au with attention to Cathie Fayle in the library.

If you are interested please email the school on: penrith-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Attention Cathie in the library for further details

NOTE: the school was not established until 1950 so bear this in mind.

In addition, if the Alumni listed below(or anyone who can help as to what area of defence they were attached to - Army, Navy, Air Force) could email the school on the above address, it would be much appreciated.

Harry Grimes

Jason Peterson

Brian Carney

Alan Ormerod

David Stevens

Ian Dickens

Consequently their names have not been added to the board as yet.

Please Note

The Defence Service Honour Board will be updated early in 2024 with all the perpetual boards.

Email: penrith-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: http://penrith-h.schools.nsw.gov.au
Location: Penrith Selective High School, 158-240 High St, Penrith NSW, Australia
Phone: (02) 4721 0529
Facebook: facebook.com/penrithselectivehighschool