History of Heritage Christian School

1981 – 1989

Heritage Christian School is the manifestation of the efforts and dreams of local families who had a desire for a Christian education alternative in the Hastings region.

In 1981, a dozen local families formed the Hastings Association for Christian Education. The group was formed on September 12, 1981 and the first board meeting took place on September 24. Five days later (September 29) the Association was incorporated as a limited liability company with six directors and thirteen members.

Under the leadership of HACE, Heritage Christian School first opened its doors on February 8, 1983. The school had just 20 students (12 infants and eight primary) and one teacher, Mr Robert Koster. Lessons took place in the hall of the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia, located at 8 Table Street, Port Macquarie.

At the Annual General Meeting on April 14, 1984 the school logo and motto were adopted. A tax deductible Building Fund was established and initial plans for the school went on display.

The Mumford Street property was selected in 1985 and a fund-raising committee launched an appeal among the community and the churches to raise money for the purchase the land and began building. During this year, Robert Koster resigned to begin studying for the ministry and Ken Dickens was appointed principal.

In May 1986, development was approved and building began in May 1987. It was completed and officially opened in October of the same year.

On May 14, 1987, the board also decided to "proceed immediately with preparation to commence High School at the beginning of the 1988 school year". The school advertised for a science/maths teacher and the board began work on plans for a three-classroom temporary building.

Mr Howard Boughton was appointed to the role of deputy principal and science/maths teacher in the new high school which opened with 13 children in a very small site office. During Term 1 the three-room block was completed. It was comprised of a science laboratory and a library. The rest of the school continued to grow and by the middle of the year, 126 children were enrolled.

In the latter half of 1988, stage 2 of the primary school began, funded by the Commonwealth Government Capital Grant Program and money borrowed by the association. This was officially opened in May, 1989. By this time, enrolments had grown to 188 students and 16 staff.

1990 – 1999

The exponential growth of the school through the 80s led to demand for new buildings in the high school by 1990. The school applied for another Commonwealth Capital Grant and received $363,000 over two years for the purchase of adjacent property known as the 'Drovers Retreat' or Woolshed.

The school community supported this venture by providing intrest-free bridging finance and voting unanimously to make the purchase of The Woolshed. There was an overwhelming sense of God's goodness in providing such an amenity for the extension of the high school.

At the same time, HACE members voted unanimously for the board to make application to the Commonwealth for an extension into Years 11 and 12 in 1992-93. In Term 2 1990, the students moved into the Woolshed. This had been refurbished to contain a library, hall, four classrooms, a home science/textiles and design lab as well as five offices.

In 1991, the school, now with a student population of 320, saw its first Year 10 graduate. During this year preparation was made for Year 11 and four additional teachers were appointed. The science lab was extended, a technics room was built and the administration block was built to temporarily accommodate senior classes and high school staff.

The board also began work on plans for the new Kempsey campus during this year. Temporary accommodation was found in South Kempsey  and two teachers were appointed - Mark Francis (Coordinator) and Mrs Nicki Stanis (Kindergarten teacher).

In 1993, Heritage Christian School’s first HSC students graduated. These students did a fine job as the pioneers, with three of the nineteen students achieving a TER above 88.

Large new high school buildings were also constructed at Port Macquarie, again with the assistance from the Commonwealth Capital Grants program. Land was also purchased at Kempsey for a future school site.

The year 1994 was one of consolidation. The board made a decision to double-stream Year 7 and Kindergarten in 1995. There were 393 students in both primary and secondary at Port Macquarie and 60 primary students at Kempsey.

In response to the growth at Port Macquarie, two further rooms were added to the buildings in 1995 to accommodate the extra classes.

The following year, 1996, was a very difficult one for the school. A number of parents questioned the fundamental principles of the school and the implementation of those principles. God, in His grace, used that situation to help us evaluate, refine and reaffirm the direction and practices of the school.

At the beginning of 1997, Heritage Christian School began a period of rebuilding, focusing on a strong communal commitment to honour God in all that we do.

This continued into 1998 with the appointment of a new principal, Tony Nott, assistant principal, business manager and some staff members at the Port campus. The school population, which began at about 320, climbed steadily through the year.

In 1999, the Francis family moved from Kempsey to Sydney to undertake theological studies and some big changes ensued.

Physically, the school moved to new premises in the Presbyterian Church and a new head teacher, Mr Tony McMahon, was appointed to lead the 32 children, two-class school.

At Port Macquarie, Mr Craig Hindley was appointed as a primary teacher and became the first past student to be employed by the school.

2000 – 2005

Both campuses grew substantially in 2000, with 46 students at Kempsey and 330 at Port Macquarie.
Years 7 and 8 were combined and three classes were established to accommodate growth. Senior school numbers were at their highest ever with a 29-strong Year 11 group.

Strong demand for secondary school places in 2000 prompted an application for Government grants to construct a new classroom block and in 2001, extra primary classes at Port Macquarie and Kempsey led to the appointment of a number of new staff including, for the first time, a part-time counsellor/teacher.

In 2003, the Port Macquarie campus implemented a two-principal structure. Ken Crowther was appointed to the role of primary school principal and Phil Johnson (who had been assistant principal for the previous five years) became secondary school principal.

In February 2003, Member for Lyne, the Hon. Mark Vaile, opened the school’s new TAS (Technical) building which incorporated modern facilities for Information Technology, Textiles and Design, Food Technology and Hospitality subjects. 

The following year was another year of consolidation and growth. An extra teacher was appointed at both the Kempsey and Port Macquarie campuses. At Port Macquarie, a gifted (stretch) class was formed and an additional Year 7 class was created.

Further growth of the secondary school occurred in 2005 which led to double-streaming of Year 7 and Year 8.
An extra class was also created for Years 9 and 10 to cater for the high demand in this part of the school and primary classes in both campuses filled rapidly.

New building works were undertaken in 2005 as Heritage Christian School endeavoured to provide new classrooms for 2006 and the future.