CHESSMOVES

The website for all who passed through the portals of Camberwell High School.

(created by CHESS, the Camberwell High Ex-Students' Society)

The 50th Jubilee Reunion of the Class of 1961 was recently held at the Kooyong Tennis Club on Saturday, November 26th, 2011 and was highly successful.

Two former teachers from that era, Robert Ewins and Don Gibb, also attended.

Many grateful thanks to Bruce Robb for sending us all the photos.

Please click here for the photo gallery

 

Our 60s Reunion was recently held at the school on Friday October 7th, 2011, and was a great success with around 115 past students from that era attending. Kate opened the event by banging on an old kettle to grab attention from the audience as we couldn't figure out how to use the PA system. A bit of fun theatre! In the background the big screen had the powerpoint of all the photos - great viewing. Andrew Lovitt stood up on a chair at the end and gave a lovely impromptu thank to the CHESS committee, notably Pat, who is a fantastic volunteer and the wheels behind CHESS.

Click here for a gallery of photos... If you want larger ones, please email me (Debs)

 

Camberwell High School's 70th celebrations were held at the school on Sunday August 14th 2011 and were a great success.

From 2pm, decade rooms with displays were open to past students from those years to mingle and present students conducted tours. Premier Ted Baillieu MP opened the event in the Assembly Hall, together with Jill Laughlin, the Principal. Lawrie Hodgson, one of the original 1941 students and a Year 7 student, Ruby, spoke of their contrasting experiences. The school orchestra played the commissioned symphonic work by Graham Lloyd (which featured a theme from the school song).

 

Present and past Principals.....Miss Ann Rusden, Jill Laughlin, Elida Brereton.

 

 

 

Our last major reunion - the 40s and 50s get together at Wattle Park Chalet.

Approximately 180 attendees!

Our new CHS Principal, Jill Laughlin, was speaker.

Many thanks to Pat, Kate, Marni and Bernard and the CHESS crew for making this possible.

Click here to see all the photos including great group shots sent by Isobel

 

 

I have recently uncovered a school photo album of the Silver Jubilee Open Day at CHS in 1991. Click here for photos

CHESS has commissioned Colin Green from MHSOBA to update our database as it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to keep track of former students when it comes to facilitating reunions. Especially twofold with young people moving abroad and interstate in their twenties and losing touch, plus the issue of lost maiden names compounding our ability to contact people for reunion mailouts.

Whilst I'm here, I would entreat any past CHS students to seriously consider joining up. We are all volunteers giving our time to CHESS. This website has been created for your enjoyment and has entailed hundreds, if not thousands, of hours and numerous trips to the school to get valuable photos and other archival material online for you. This is all material which would have been hidden away and gathering dust. CHESS membership fees contribute to keeping this site online as we pay hosting fees. (Notice that there are no pop-up ads cluttering up the site.) Reunions are often subsidised as we try to keep costs for attendees at a minimum. Newsletters are also mailed out to members three times a year.

Please, please, please, email me with the names and addresses of any CHS past pupils that you know of. Our current database of past students is around 4000, out of the total 10,000 plus.

Annual membership is a modest $25.00 and, right now, we really need your subs to keep CHESS viable.

Click here for an application form for CHESS

 

 

 

Every now and then, when searching the CHS archives, I find little gems or in this case, massive A3 photocopies of the 1949 Form 4C News.

It took a fair bit of scanning and also rotating the two pieces of these HUGE sheets to bring them into alignment, but I did it. And I thank the authors for this production.

Click here for the first installment and MORE!

 

 

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Final Day of the 1962 CHS Matric Class

Alan Petschack did this brilliant video and posted it on YouTube.

This film was taken on the last day for Year 12 matriculation students at Camberwell High School, in suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Filmed using Sekonic standard 8 (silent) movie camera, and edited in 2008 using Adobe Premiere CS3.

Staff names in order of appearance were 1. Miss A.E. Cameron, 2. Mr R.A. (Roy) Andrews (Principal), 3. Mr D.A. (Don) Gibb, 4. Mr P.C. Joyce, 5. Mr. A.J.H. (Athol) Jones, 6. Mr M.J. O'Brien, 7. Mr A.V. (Tony) Pugsley, 8. Athol Jones

     

Just thought I would feature a photo of Lawrie Hodgson, almost a lifelong member of the CHESS Committee and an original 1941 CHS student.

Here he is wearing his original school tie which is almost 70 years old!

 

Please consider ordering our great school song CD..

Click here to hear a sample of the recording!!!

This CD has great value - the full score is on a viewable pdf file on the CD when you play it via a computer.

It has the words, history of the song, brief history of CHESS, details on Miss Cameron MBE, the chorists' names. There are five recordings on it - the full choir, piano accompaniment only, descent part, alto part and the bass part.

$12 including postage, within Australia. Email Debs

And whilst we have your attention, please buy a CHESS badge. Bargain for $7, including postage within Australia. Email Debs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fabulous 70s Reunion Night@ The Kelvin Club - October 2007

Top evening it was too! And anyone who attended who would like to order any of the group photos taken by Dennis Spielvogel, please email me. Only $17!!!

Click here here for mugshots!!!

 

 

 

A fantastic 60s reunion night @ the Kelvin Club!!!!

Yummy nibbles, a handy bar; Yvonne Giltinan playing the piano with our school song (and WHAT a chorus!); the big powerpoint photo display; group photos with Dennis Spielvogel directing traffic!

Recognise anyone???

 

Welcome back to our first ever Matric class of 1956!!!!

Great photos here!!!

 

 

40s & 50s Cocktail Party a HUGE success!!!!!

Click here for photos!!!

 

The CHESS CAMBERWELL HIGH DINNER at the Kelvin Club, on October 8 2004, was a great success....

See more!!!

 

 

Click to see a report on the 1963 CHS (40 Year) Reunion....

Happy snaps here!!!

 

Photos of the 80s and 90s reunion are online.

Take me there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Dannii Minogue visits CHS - May 14th, 2003

See Dannii and her adoring fans here!!

 

 

Great Open Night at CHS! - May 2007

I took my two youngest children to the Open Night to see the school (and also pick up some CHESS envelopes!) Brilliant performances by the Strings who are off to Japan shortly. They played beautifully and even did part of the Brandenburg Concerto.

I used to play violin in the school orchestra and my daughter learns - so I wanted her to hear for herself the GREAT MUSIC that the students create. Plus the band were playing in the Assembly Hall.

More photos click here!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recording of our school song on CD!!!!!

On Saturday, July 30th, a number of past students gathered at Christ Church, West Hawthorn, to record School of our Youth with Yvonne Giltinan conducting and Leah Scholl as our fabulous pianist!

The occasion was significant with Miss Cameron, CHS's wonderful music teacher from the early 60s attending and also David Collins, a former CHS principal, sitting in the wings.

 

The sound, after several rehearsals, was truly magnificent....and Martin from MOVE Records has captured it all!

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who stayed till stumps and sang their hearts out, literally....the resonance in the old church was so unreal, some of us were almost in tears...especially when we heard the blend of five-part harmonies in the final verse.

Many thanks also go to John Tungyep, who has spent many hours on a piano score for the song - the first time this has been done. And also to Trevor Henley for providing valuable input on John's drafts...and for encouraging us also on the day.

Click here for more photos!!!

 

You have only 1½ hours to do the 1965 Form 5 Maths II paper.......your time starts NOW!

Take me there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And NO cheating down the back, Smithers!

(And if anyone knows the answers, please email me and I'll post them here.)

Something for the students from Dr James' era....the school had a recent donation of a presentation album, given to Dr James upon his retirement...it was returned by a close relative. It's a beautiful leatherbound one with the school logo embossed on the cover. I have spent hours trying to digitalise the photos for this site....please enjoy this special section. In time, I will amalgamate the black and white ones into the main forties photo section.

For the historic James Album.....click here

 

 

 

In 2002/2003, the old girl had major works undertaken, then a new Arts/Technology Centre was created over the old Camberwell Baths site. Now, in 2010, there are plans in place for a new Centre of Innovation for the Year 9s to commence next year.

The 1990 flyover and stairwell near Room 12 were remodelled.

A new humungous library occupies half of the second floor, almost back to where it was up to the late sixties.

CHS has its first lift for disabled students! This is to the left of the 1970s building courtyard entrance.

And the library has shifted back to the old building and occupies 500 square metres of floor space...many of the connecting walls between classrooms on the upper and lower floors have been removed so there seems to be a lot of light now. Downstairs, Rooms 7 & 8 are now a big Common room. Administration is incredible with a huge open plan office and reception windows. Rooms 1, 2 and 3 have been renovated and are general purpose classrooms. Room 4 is a Conference Room. There are several new computer pods too. Rooms 12 and 13 are now renovated - they are IT rooms. The library has now left the 1970s building, and there have been four new classrooms created - and on the third floor, the eight rooms there will be refurbished. Classrooms on the ground floor of the 70s building, near the music room, are now Home Economics classrooms after a complete refit.

We have four new science rooms were the old library was in the second floor of the 70s' building.

There is a fabulous new building on the corner of Byron Street with new classrooms and a performance centre.

 

 

See the changes here

Check out the Tuscan landscaping at the front entrance (my brother is carrying CHESS files for our meeting.)

Look at the new courtyard and landscaping....

 

See the Virtual Tour, I created in August 2002, which shows the school before the changes.....click here

Stage 3 is now completed.

Click here to see more photos and see the architect's drawings.

 

 

If you were at Camby High in 1985, maybe you know this lad!

Look at the big Swimming Sports collection on your photo pages and whilst you're there, look at these Magazine photos (all 55 of them!)

 

 

Please click on the buttons below to tour site:

School Tour (click on the new Virtual Tour and see the big changes)

Gallery of Honour

Newsletter and CHESS Membership Application

Photos (class photos, private collections, school photo albums and the Dannii Minogue 2003 visit)

The 1991 Silver Jubilee (Robert Ewins book launch, Miss Rusden's welcome, student performances)

Newspaper cuttings

School Song (listen a sample of the magnificent CD recording by former students)

Prefects and House Captains

Headmasters/Principals

Teachers (this page is getting bigger than Ben Hur!)

Music (orchestra and band snaps here)

Drama/Musicals (V Theatre here)

Rowing (one of CHS's major pursuits)

Speech Nights

Memorabilia (old programs from Speech Nights, etc)

Exchange Students (a new section)

Recollections from Warragul (Charles Lewis writes)

Reunions

Projects (see the new archives facility)

Mission

History of CHS

Uniforms

Vales

Committee (including a Prospice article on the original old students' association)

Feedback (your letters to us)

You asked for it....(a section for any of you to write to me I'll even investigate strange smells from cupboards in Room 206)

Links

 

 

The Chessmoves Blog*

21st June 2001 - Chessmoves is online. Only a home page but it's UP!

Early October 2001 - have been hibernating with the website, but offline all of my free hours have been spent typing out EVERY CHESSMOVES for the newsletter page, after converting them to pdf files. Once this has been completed (it's VERY labour-intensive) I will return to scanning photos from the archives - I am aiming at a two year period of setting-up before the site will reach a maintenance level. So, the gaps in photos, especially, will be gradually filled.........

October 20th - have spent all weekend, scanning and converting about fifty photos and reducing them to fit onto individual web pages...the baby did get fed, the five year old annoyed the heck out of her dad and I got the washing done. Check out these years especially - 1946, 47, 48, 72, 75, 76, 77, 78, 82, 84 and 86.

October 24th - went to CHS today and saw the archives for the first time - there is a dearth of class photos for the 80s and 90s....so if anyone could lend me some for scanning, that would be brilliant. And also we are missing Prospices for 1992 and 1993 - if anyone would wish to donate a copy, we would be ecstatic - I promise! This week, I will try to finish the 40s and then, will do a year at a time each month or so.

Located the original 1946 Prospectus in our archives - have a look in the Tour pages. Also there are some photos of building works over the years.

Sunday, October 28th - have uploaded a new section within Photos - called Private Collections - am indebted to Nicola (née Donkin) for lending me her wonderful photos of school life in the middle fifties. Also, I have added a collection of photos (mounted on paper with some tongue-in-cheek text) from Final Day 1960. This latter series were, I think, exhibited at the big Jubilee Reunion.

November 2nd - have finished the Forties ones - so see 1947 and 48. Also have lots more of 1953, 54, 56 and a smattering of 1961. Also, I have added a guestbook link for those who want to leave a message on whether they like the website, what suggestions they have for future directions, etc. I managed to find one guestbook site that filters out offensive language! (I haven't been able to find one without banners - this is better than the many ones I have found on the net that are plastered with self-promotion.) Use the email for sending more private information such as contact addresses or specific messages for me. (November 13 - just trying a NEW guestbook as the last mob used popups when I did a trial entry. I don't like advertising popups!)

Late December 2001 - have been busy on the home front - eldest autie son has suddenly developed severe epilepsy. So, after the dust has settled with Xmas, will be getting up each year sequentially, starting from 1951/2 in complete batches. Each month, I will get a batch of two years from the archives (they seem to have about 50-70 photos for each of the years) and get them online.

February 2002 - finally got 1951 up - have discovered that many of these older photos are dark and don't look good as jpegs, even when scanned at a high resolution...so a few are slow-loading gif files. I have trimmed many to reduce their size (in kilobytes). And often, there are so many faces crammed into the photos, as in the choirs, that clarity demands gif format. Nearly every one is dark - with the scanner, I can lighten them, but not all.

February 22nd 2002 - 1950 is now complete! You will notice that many photos are listed as 'unknown' regarding subject. Contact me if you can help.

April 2002 - have had a hiatus for two months as my father succumbed to lung cancer after only a short illness. So resuming web work, starting with contacting former students for gallery bios (see below). And also will work on constructing a map of the school for the tour pages.

One day I hope to replicate the Gallery of Honour from the school entrance, which will feature, not just those from the CHS wall, but the many unsung others, who have made significant achievements in their careers.....

Late July 2002 - the Gallery of Honour has begun to take shape.

August 2002 - spent several hours taking almost 70 photos throughout the school classrooms and grounds. I've already been drawing up layouts/plans of the school classrooms and converting them into transparent gifs. I hope to have the Virtual Tour operational by mid-August.

October 2002 - uploaded the reunion photos. Lachie is going into weekly daycare so I can finally do some uninterrupted webwork! Hooray!

November 2002 - took digital photos of the new construction works. Have uploaded those and also some from the archives, taken of the 1990 flyover construction. 1952 is up! Loved the group photo taken on the 1952 Final Day - in the photos/collections section. And the 1952 Choral Festival program, 1953 swimming sports program, 1953 Speech Night program. 1953 has just been uploaded!

December 2002 - have uploaded four profiles from the school's own photo gallery into our Gallery of Honour. And my sister was renovating a room and her children found her old scrapbook with some V Theatre programs and an old SRC Rag - so have a look at the Memorabilia section...and also the Cuttings section within the Photos category.

January 2003 - Michael Stocks, a violinist, has kindly done a midi (strings) version of the school song and I've embedded it in the School Song page to come on automatically.

February 2003 - Visited the school to take some photos with my Polaroid kids' digital - the camera when you can't own an expensive model! Left the kids in the new staff room and did a quick tour, which is on the Construction webpage. Also began a new section so that I can follow up any questions you have. All the newsletters are now up-to-date. Some more programs are in Memorabilia. And a cutting on Glenys Beasley.

March 2003 - Several more gallery entries have been uploaded. 1955 and 1956 are complete. Unfortunately, many donated photos are dark photocopies and I'm desperate to get originals, if anyone can help me. I've uploaded a miscellaneous collection of 1955 photos to the Photos/Collections pages. Memorabilia is getting bigger and also there are many cuttings on Glenys Beasley, Neil Twitt, Philip Gibbons and Peter Jacovou in the Photos/Cuttings section. March 6th: we were offline for three days with domain problems, not of our making. I was SO happy to see the site back online today. March 9th - I've finished 1957, 1958 and 1959. Still more cuttings and memorabilia.

April 2003 - I have scanned from 1960 - 1965 (just need some free time to upload them) In the background, I have been busy creating mock-ups for the flyer, advertising hoarding, tickets and booking form for the dinner dance, plus visiting and liaising with Leonda and our entertainment. My eldest autie has become severely mentally ill as well, requiring hospitalisation, so I'm doing my best to accomodate everyone! By the way, anybody wishing to see this site in the Tempus Sans ITC font it was created with (and not the default one Times New Roman) - you can download it here and save it in your C:\WINDOWS\Fonts folder.

May 2003 - Finally got 1960 - 65 up, plus lots of memorabilia, some more collection photos and prefect induction photos too. I was REALLY upset to see that there is a total absence of 1960 and 1961 class/sport photos...as I feel for the ones that were students then. Contact me if you can fill the gaps. May 16th: Two nights ago, I set up the Dannii page for current students mainly - and tonight I've been busy creating a new Music page as I am well aware of how 'hot' CHS is with music. And 70s teacher photos are up too. May 20th: Just doing a mammoth task with 1971 (so many magazine photos)...and the famous Dance Band is up! Just beginning to start categories of Music, Speech Nights and Drama. May 31st: Uploading 1969 and 1970. Look at the Prospice mag photos from 1969 and 1971 in the Collections area. (A big thank you to anyone involved with the magazines then, for taking these wonderful shots!) Found the article on the infamous break-up prank of 1968...that's in Photos/Cuttings.

June 2003 - Music is expanding slowly - put a page up for Mr Trevare. And I've uploaded quite a few 1967 teachers' photos. Working on finishing 1968.....June 20th: Just finally did 1967! June 22nd: And 1968! Started a rowing section.

July 2003 - Finally uploading 1966. I have spent hours and hours doing a huge powerpoint presentation of all our photos. Have scanned 1972 and 1973 so will be doing those soon. July 26th: Finished uploading the Dr James' album for the Forties students. July 27th: 1972 is up and 1973! July 29th: Found some great 1969 aths and Staff vs Students softball photos incorrectly labelled 1976...please check them in the private collections page. Plus another group of photos from Anna Cooper. Also check out the Music section for the 1976 choirs and "HMS Pinafore". (The latter is printed on the popular satin photo finish of the time so it's a little fuzzy.)

August 2003 - Hooray! 1975, 1976 and 1978 are up. (There is nothing from 1974 in the archives.) I had to crop some feet and floor in the 1976 photos because some of the photos had lost their surfaces. August 11th: 1977 is up! Also many more cuttings...including articles on the Brinsley Road school.

September 2003 - Received some wonderful photos from Geoff James for 58, 59, 60 and 61. Plus many swimming programs for 62, 63 and 64. Plus a 1960 Speech Night Program and Report. So check out the Memorabilia section. Many thanks, Geoff.

October 2003 - Charles Lewis has a webpage featuring the relationship that Warragul HS and CHS have shared over the many years. He was at Warragul HS during the 1947 and 1948 reciprocal visits. The link is listed on the main index. October 25th - Howard McPherson, a student from 1945-47, sent me two photos of the main building (c1945) and a great 1947 staff vs students basketball match. Many thanks Howard.

November 2003 - Finally uploaded 1979, 1980 and 1981. Have scanned all the photos from 1982 to 1986....about to start creating their pages for uploading. November 9th - 1982 and 1983 are up. November 25th - finally uploaded the past three newsletters. These, of course, have no photos....save for Mic's gigs ad....photos are only available to members in their printed newsletters. 1984 went up tonight too. November 26th - uploaded the 1984 musical "Free As Air" (the Drama section now incorporates Musicals). 1985 and 1986 are up. You must see the great 1985 swimming photos. Also, if you go to the Private Collections section (Photos), there is a HUGE selection of photos taken by the Magazine Committee (1985). One thing I should mention is that the school has said that the recent privacy laws affect this site, with regard to the photos that have all the names printed underneath (sigh)...so I've been told to crop them. I do scan them WITH the names...for the archives. If any past student needs a name/s from one of those affected photos, please email me.

December 2003 - The 1963 Reunion is up! Xmas Day - Uploaded some photos from 1958-1963, kindly lent to CHESS by former students.

February 2004 - Back after busy holidays. Scanned and uploaded more cuttings. February 16th - uploaded some programmes and cuttings on various concerts/musicals.

May 2004 - Should explain that the reason (I've been unable to spend more time on the site lately) is that our third son has just been diagnosed with a disability - so looks like three on the autism spectrum) and I've been flat out with assessments and early intervention. At least the newsletter got out! And I've attended every CHESS meeting.

October 2004 - Check out David Bridie's Gallery of Honour entry!

March 2005 - Tribute to Michael Aikman. Photos of the completed Stage 3 project. Updated the reunion and AGM details.

December 2005 - 40s and 50s cocktail party photos uploaded.

January 2006 - Amazed that I was given (for archives) three old speech night programmes from 1941, 1945 and 1946 - in pristine condition. Uploaded to Memorabilia section. Also photos from Sylvia Thomas and newspaper articles from Esme Owen uploaded.

October 2006 - 60s reunion photos uploaded.

March 2007 - Alan Day sent me a rare gem - a photo of Form 1A from 1945. And also grateful thanks to Ian Jenkin for his four photos from the late fifties. Have a look in the Photos section.

May 2007 - Dot Browne OAM joins the Gallery of Honour (Sport)

June 2007 - Harry B. Schooley (one of our former exchange students) joins the Gallery of Honour (Education).

November 2007 - Was sent a farewell letter for Form 6 students from Mr Slattery - in Memorabilia. Plus Brian Laffin kindly lent me 7 huge staff photos from 1992 to 2000. Brian is a grandparent of a prep student in my son's class and it was a real coincidence that we linked up at school bell time. I mentioned that I was busy working on this website and Brian mentioned that he was a former CHS teacher! It's a small world. Many thanks Brian!!!

April 2008 - Mammoth task of getting 1987 class photos online - all have been in those old sticky albums so difficult to scan. There is also a staff photo for that year on the teachers' page plus the 1993 and 1994 staff photos. Uploaded a sample of our school song CD to the School Song link. Have added several more cuttings and the odd piece of memorabilia. Plus indebted to Mark Carter for identifying some teacher photos. I've moved the newspapers cuttings to their own section. Plus created a special VALE page for former Principals, teachers and prominent past students.

August 2008 - Finally located missing albums from the school and have spent hours and hours scanning them. Up to 2000 which gets really tricky as the school decided to scrap the class photos and go with individual portraits which are incorporated into software programs to produce cluster photos. Trying to get these altogether into big powerpoints for the 80s & 90s Reunion in October.....before I upload them here. Marguerite Moors (Neagle) has kindly sent me a disc with missing photos from the early sixties. Wonderful! Plus an old schoolfriend has gone to a lot of trouble to send me cricket photos. I've revamped the Gallery main page as also the Photos directory.

March 2010 - 1990 is live...and I'm gradually uploading this decade. There is no 1988 nor 1989 as these photos are completely missing from school archives. I have also tendered my resignation to CHESS, effective the end of 2010 as my family commitments (my eldest children's disabilities) are important and I'm re-prioritising my life. I will endeavour to get photos online up to 2000. Hoping that someone will take over the newsletter but I think that this will be an online production for paid-up members only with a live link, rather than a hard copy.

November 2010 - have spent three days updating committee, mission, projects, archives, pages. The photos of the new archives room are online. Plus was emailed 3D 1964 so that is live. This site is almost 100% Arial font which is much more user friendly. The 1991 Silver Jubilee photos are now online. Plus found five Dannii Minogue visit snaps in school archives. There are four previously undiscovered 1950 football photos and I'm hoping that someone can let me know if the year is right. I can see Mr Jenkins in one of them. Plus Noni has sent me a lot of brilliant mid-fifties (onwards) group photos. Thanks Noni!

 

*Potted history of the Chessmoves website

 

 

The Education Foundation organises the annual Back to School Day for past students of government schools all around Australia.

They would like ANY past students (you don't have to be either rich or famous!) interested in being a part of this project - to go back to their alma mater (CHS) and click on the link below.

Click here for the direct link to the Back to School webpage with the registration form for past students.

This is the main webpage for the Education Foundation so you can learn more about their objectives.

http://www.educationfoundation.org.au/

 

 

 

 

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©CHESS 2001