Hutchins School

The Hutchins School was established in 1846 at Hobart Town in memory of The Venerable William Hutchins, first Archdeacon of Van Diemen's Land. Arriving in the colony in 1837, Archdeacon Hutchins had worked tirelessly to establish a faithful ministry, erecting churches and schools and laying the foundation for secondary education under the auspices of the Church of England.[4]

The School commenced operations under Headmaster John Richard Buckland at Ingle Hall, a large Georgian house dating from 1811 which still stands in lower Macquarie Street, Hobart. Three years later it moved several blocks up Macquarie Street to a purpose-built schoolhouse designed by Tasmanian architect, William Archer.[4]

In the early days of many and varied schools and tenuous longevity, Hutchins survived by absorbing pupils, staff and plant of other less robust institutions, including Christ's College (1846–1912), The High School (1850–65), Horton College (1855-93) and Officer College (1888–1900). When Hutchins joined forces with Christ's College in 1912 it was the signal for Arthur Augustus Stephens to close Queen's College, founded by him in 1893, and accept the post of Vice-Master of Hutchins. In 1905 Hutchins amalgamated with Buckland's School, opened in 1893 by William Harvey Buckland, son of founding headmaster J R Buckland and brother of second headmaster John Vansittart Buckland. Hutchins would go on to absorb King's Grammar School (1907), Franklin House School (1917) and Apsley House School (1928), and affiliate with Gryce (1934) and Gladwyn (1937) Schools.[4]

By the 1950s the School was growing too large for its inner-city site and in 1957 a new Junior School was built on an elevated site overlooking the River Derwent at Sandy Bay. This followed the opening at the Sandy Bay site of a sub-primary section in 1946 and the Memorial Oval and pavilion in 1955. The Senior School was later constructed on the adjacent site of the former Queenborough Cemetery, following a council referendum in which ratepayers voted '1 for educational purposes' in 1960.[5] By 1964 the Senior School campus encompassed a boarding house and science wing, quickly followed by an administration block and classrooms, while the Junior School campus across the road soon expanded to include a fledgling Middle School. The Macquarie Street building was sold in 1965, with Hutchins commencing full operations at Sandy Bay the following year.

The school runs an extensive co-curricular program[6] offering music, performing arts, debating, sports and the Duke of Edinburgh International Award.

Notable alumni of The Hutchins School include:

• Percy Abbot CMG, a soldier, politician and solicitor[7]
• Stuart Barnes (poet), poet (1981–1995)[8]
• John Bisdee VC, first Australian winner of the Victoria Cross (1882-c1885)
• Frank Bowden CBE, FRS, scientist[9]
• Tim Bowden, broadcaster, journalist and author (1946–54)[10]
• Sir Stanley Burbury KCMG KCVO KBE, Governor of Tasmania (1973–1982)[11]
• Bob Clifford, founder of Incat, shipbuilder and entrepreneur (1961)[10]
• Sir John Davies KCMG, politician, newspaper proprietor and first-class cricketer[12]
• Lyndhurst Giblin DSO, MC, economist[13]
• Stephen Gumley, engineer and first CEO, Australian Defence Materiel Organisation (1966–74)
• Richard Hewson, master mariner and navigator, winner of 2011–12 Volvo Ocean Race (1992–97)
• Michael Hodgman, Liberal MHR (1947–56)
• Roger Hodgman, theatre and television director
• Will Hodgman, Liberal Premier (1980–86)
• Kevin Hofbauer, actor (2006)[10]
• Paul Hudson, AFL footballer and coach (1988)[10]
• Leonard Huxley KBE, physicist and former President of the Australian Institute of Physics
• Thomas Murdoch CMG, politician[14]
• Brodie Neill, designer (1983–96)
• Harold Nicholas, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, judge and politician[15]
• Hamish Peacock, javelin olympian (2008)[10]
• Sir James Ramsay KCMG KCVO CBE DSC, Governor of Queensland (1977–1985)[11]
• John Stopp, President of the Legislative Council of Tasmania (1992–1995)
• Damon Thomas, Alderman and former Lord Mayor of Hobart, Tasmanian Crown Solicitor, State Ombudsman, CEO of the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Korean Consul (1967)[10]
• James William Tibbs CMG, Headmaster of Auckland Grammar School, 1893–1922 (1867–72)
• Alan Walker, architect[16]
• Owen Walsh, Administrator of Norfolk Island (2008–2012)[11]
• Denis Warner OBE CMG, war correspondent, author and journalist (1928–35)
• Guy Wylly VC, joint first Australian winner of the Victoria Cross (1889-c1893)
• Mitchell Hibberd- AFL Footballer

As of 2020, The Hutchins School has had 25 Rhodes Scholars, the latest being the 2021 Tasmania scholar, Nanak Narulla.[17] Alumni have been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship for Australian states other than Tasmania, such as the 2016 New South Wales scholar, Harjeevan Narulla, Nanak's brother.[18] [19]

Notable Hutchins alumni to be awarded the Rhodes Scholarship:

1909 - F B Edwards

1911 - C S King

1913 - C S Raynor

1915 - J A Barnett

1916 - L T Butler

1917 - A F Payne

1919 - A J Clinch

1920 - F B Richardson

1921 - E M Lilley

1922 - J K Clinch

1923 - L G H Huxley

1924 - A McDougall

1926 - J D L Hood

1928 - A Smithies

1931 - E C R Spooner

1932 - E J Warlow-Davies

1940 - E D Tudor

1955 - G L Salmon

1976 - R C Forage

1979 - S J Gumley

1988 - M C Elias

2013 - S H Forbes

2016 - H S Narulla (NSW)

2018 - H W West

2021 - N S Narulla

• The Hutchins School website