Sunshine Technical School

Renewed threat to Sunshine Technical School buildings

Update: April 2024

The impending demolition of the former Sunshine Technical School buildings looms closer. In January 2024, Heritage Victoria concluded that the two structures lacked State-level cultural heritage significance and thus should not be listed in the Victorian Heritage Register. However, the RHSV, the National Trust, and the Brimbank Council have all voiced their opposition to this decision. Both the Heritage Committee of the RHSV and the Brimbank Council have submitted arguments to the Heritage Council of Victoria, underscoring the buildings’ significant historical and architectural value and staunchly advocating for their preservation.

Background

Situated on Derby Road in Sunshine, the boys’ wing of the Sunshine Technical School and the Sunshine Girls Technical School stand as remarkable examples of the Modernist/Art Deco architecture crafted by Percy Everett, who served as the Chief Architect of the Public Works Department from 1935 to 1953. Beyond their architectural significance, these schools serve as tangible reminders of a pivotal era in Australia’s industrial evolution, playing a vital role in the advancement of secondary and post-secondary education in Victoria.

Adding to their historical importance is the recent revelation that Harold Blair (1924-1976), a classically trained tenor and Indigenous activist, served as a music teacher at the school from around 1966 to 1969, likely making him the first Indigenous individual employed as a teacher in a Victorian Department of Education school. Despite their profound social and architectural significance, and notwithstanding the buildings’ coverage under a local Heritage Overlay, the Victorian Education Department proposed the demolition of both structures in 2020.

The argument for preserving these buildings is compelling. In 1911, H.V. McKay, renowned for developing the Sunshine stripper-harvester and playing a pivotal role in Australia’s early manufacturing history, generously donated £2,000 and five acres of land at 129 Derby Street, Sunshine, to the Victorian Education Department. This donation aimed to establish the Sunshine Technical School. Prior to its establishment, apprentices had been trained at the Sunshine Harvester Works in Ballarat. Upon its opening in 1913, the school saw forty-seven apprentices enrol in various trades, including moulding and casting, blacksmithing, and fitting and turning.

The Sunshine Technical School offered pioneering post-primary education. Apprentices had the opportunity to attend night classes, received paid time off to attend their courses, and were incentivized for academic achievement and attendance. Many apprentices gained practical experience by working in different departments of the Sunshine Harvester Works, with some eventually securing full-time positions within the company.

The Sunshine Harvester company and the McKay family maintained strong ties with the school, with H.V. McKay serving as the president of the School’s council until his passing in 1926.

In 1938, a new building for girls was unveiled at 111 Derby Road, marking the transformation of Sunshine Technical into a co-educational institution. Three years later, in 1941, a new boys’ wing was constructed at 129 Derby Road. Both structures were meticulously designed by Percy Everett, the esteemed Chief Architect of the Public Works Department renowned for his Modernist/Art Deco creations, which include schools, hospitals, courthouses, office buildings, and technical colleges. Many of Everett’s works are proudly listed on the Historical Buildings Register.

A major restructure of schools in the district occurred at the end of 1991, when six schools were amalgamated to form Sunshine College. This arrangement lasted until 2020, when the buildings on Derby Road were closed.

In August 2021 a notice appeared that the Department of Education was calling for tenders for the demolition of the buildings. The Department is exempt from planning and heritage laws but is expected to consult with the community but given the historical and architectural merit of Sunshine College, the proposal met with considerable opposition, including from the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, the Sunshine and District Historical Society, The National Trust, Brimbank City Council, and community groups. As part of the challenge to the proposed demolition, Dr John Pardy, President of Sunshine Historical Society, rapidly produced a study of the school’s history to support a nomination to the Victorian Heritage Register. The broad based opposition and the strong case for preservation fortunately proved successful: Education Minister James Merlino announced in October 2021 that the buildings would be ‘retained for future educational use’.