Past students lament passing of Scarborough High School | Perth Herald

Past students lament passing of Scarborough High School

Perth Herald Tuesday 1st September, 2009

It no longer exists but it played a big part in the lives of tens of thousands of former students and teachers.

The Western Australian coastal suburb of Perth hosted its secondary education facility, Scarborough Senior High School, from 1959, when it was first built a half-century ago this year, on a 54 hectare site on the corner of Newborough Street and Grand Promenade (sometimes known as Bettone Promenade) on a high position with views of the sea.

As Mark Fletcher wrote, utilising research from Jane Green, 1959 was a time when brumbies roamed thick Scarborough bush, Slim Dusty was No. 1 on the pop charts with “Pub with no beer,” and young people’s allegiance was to their parents, their country, and the Queen. Bob Menzies was prime minister and Australia was about to enter a decade of prosperity which it has not seen before or since, where houses cost 2,000 pounds and wool fetched a pound a pound.

Values and standards remained unquestioned, people still spoke of “going home” when they went to England, and living standards were soaring for the new middle class.

It was also a time of severe prejudice against Aboriginal people who did not yet have the vote, where nuclear weapons were tested on Australian soil at Maralingo, and women left work when they got married after working the same job as a man for only a fraction of the wage.

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