As you may be aware, this year Avondale College celebrates its 80th birthday.
Our school's history began in 1943 during World War II, when this whenua was used for a U.S. Naval Hospital. Auckland was chosen for its strategic importance as a location in the Pacific, and Fletcher Construction built the hospital. A portion of the site was planned for a secondary school to address overcrowding that had happened in Auckland's schools at the time. The hospital, though large, was never fully used for its intended purpose, as thankfully, the war in the Pacific didn't escalate as had been feared.
In February 1945, Avondale Technical High School opened, with 550 students and 21 teachers adapting the former hospital buildings into a school. Today, the transverse and D Block corridors are the remaining footprints of those original buildings.
Despite challenges, the new school thrived, quickly becoming one of the largest in New Zealand. It embraced national curriculum changes, extracurricular activities, and developed a strong reputation for academics, arts, and sports.
On that very first day in 1945, all 550 students gathered for a whole school photo.
Last week, 80 years later, our whole school gathered again, to capture and celebrate a special moment in time. We are delighted to share our once-in-80-years photo with our community!
On the first weekend of Term 2, we will hold a Jubilee Weekend where all former students and staff can return to the school to share memories and celebrate the past 80 years. More information can be found here, or by clicking the 80th Jubilee button on the website home page.
As part of the weekend at the beginning of next term, we will be holding a Family Festival on Sunday 4 May, to which all of our students and families are invited! There will be a stage with performances from our cultural, music and dance groups. We hope you will bring a picnic or enjoy food from the food trucks and enjoy celebrating 80 years of excellence at Avondale College.
