Holbrook Public School

Quality education in a secure and caring environment

Telephone02 6036 2021

Emailholbrook-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

History of Holbrook PS

Brief School History

  • Germanton Public School - 1875 – 1915
  • Holbrook Public School - 1915 – 1943
  • Holbrook Central School - 1944 – 1977
  • Holbrook Public School - 1978 – present

The town of Holbrook can boast a colourful history in names. In 1858 the area was surveyed for a township known as Ten Mile Creek. This was changed in 1875 to Germanton in honour of the first settler, a German called John Pabst. Local patriotism caused a further change of name in 1915 when anti-German feeling led to the civic fathers choosing the name of Holbrook for the township, thereby honouring Lieutenant Norman Holbrook who was awarded the Victoria Cross after torpedoing a Turkish battleship in the Dardanelles in 1914.

It was therefore under the name of Germanton that the first school was established on 5 April 1875, Miss Hughena Daley being appointed as the teacher on 14 July. First records show that enrolment for the year was 34.

Billabong High School in Culcairn in 1978, the secondary department of Holbrook Central School closed and the name was changed back to Holbrook Public School.