School History

"Orior Supra Res Adversas"
"I rise above adversity"

Education for physically handicapped children in hospitals was introduced as far back as 1923. The scheme originated with Miss M.M. Simpson who was so deeply impressed with the efforts of a small patient whom she saw trying to teach himself to read, that she brought the matter before the Director of Education, Mr. Peter Board, and the Chief Inspector, Mr. Dawson.

The approval and co-operation of the Hospital Board having been obtained in March, 1923 Miss Renouf was appointed to Royal Alexandra Hospital at Camperdown to the" Basement Ward" where the patients were mainly long-standing cases of TB, hips, spine, joints etc.

The "Fred Birks Activity School" or, as it was originally named, "The School for Physically Handicapped Children" was opened on 10 November, 1930. It was a day school in the grounds of the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Camperdown.

It was the realization of a dream of Dr. R.B. Wade, Dr. S.W.G. Ratcliff and others that children attending the hospital for treatment should receive an education at the same time. There had been an epidemic of infantile paralysis and there were very many crippled children attending for treatment.

The school opened with 16 pupils. Transport was provided by Mr. F.H. Stewart who set aside one of his buses each day to bring the children to and from school. This went on until the end of 1932 when a new Government put all buses off the roads.

Miss Mary Lamond was appointed Teacher-in-Charge of the new day school with Miss Louisa Carne as assistant. In January, 1933, there was no bus to bring children to school, consequently enrolments were seriously affected. Miss Carne was sent to several schools relieving. Miss Lamond carried on alone until towards the end of 1933 the first taxi was engaged to bring half a dozen children living on the Marrickville-Bankstown line across from St. Peters' station. Miss Lamond left at Christmas, 1933 and Miss Carne became Teacher-in-Charge. As enrolments increased and staff enlarged Miss Carne was appointed Head Mistress.

In 1939, the then Minister for Education, Mr. Drummond, and Mr. Ross Thomas visited the school and several wards in the hospital where they saw children of school age confined to their beds for long periods and missing schooling at an important period in their lives. The outcome of this visit was the appointment of a teacher, Miss Kemp. A second teacher, Miss Whyte, began work in the wards in 1941. In 1942 the school was named the Fred Birks Activity School in recognition of the generosity of Mr. Fred Birks. For many years he had generously donated hot midday meals for the children attending the school.

In 1962, the timber building, originally built in 1930, was replaced by a building "of brick, rendered and painted white, with extensive window space and an outdoor area for each classroom" by the Department of Education. There the school remained until 1995.

The children's hospital school; Then and Now

Then

Back then hospitals were quite different. They were extremely strict, especially with bed rest. If you were on bed rest you weren't allowed to move. Also, the food was totally different. For example, the children used to get hot lunches. Also, their beds had no wheels and their wheel chairs were very old fashioned. They were extremely strict with ground rules too because they did not give out gate passes. The children had to stay on the grounds.
Amy Year 8

The life for kids in the hospital then, was quite different to now. There were more patients and they would stay in hospital for longer. Patients would, in some cases, have to stay in hospital for many years - not days or weeks. They had less medical knowledge and technology so the recovery time was slower. The hospital had timber floors and the rooms were quite dark and gloomy. The wards weren't colourfully decorated and there would be many beds in one room. They had small, uncomfortable metal beds that looked similar to cots. The nurses wore nun-like uniforms and students would wear formal uniforms to school. There would be a school bus that collected all the school students from their homes and take them to school. Most of the kids had Polio or TB. The classrooms provided less resources and the desks were individually spaced out. Students would also learn how to weave camouflage nets.

Everyday, the students would be served hot lunches that were donated by Fred Birks. He donated the lunches for fourteen years everyday for the students. The kids would gather together and have lunch on a big verandah. This was very generous of him, especially since it was during The Depression. There were less forms of entertainment provided. You would be able to see kids skipping, playing marbles or playing football. The environment outside was very open spaced and had dirt grounds and grassy pastures.
Christine Year 8

The hospital before, was really old - not like ours right now. It didn't have beds like we do now. The beds were made of metal and were not as comfortable as our beds. The wheelchairs were made of wood and weren't very comfortable. The hospital had its own hospital school for the children who were in the hospital.
Stephanie Year 7

The old Children's hospital at Camperdown was a lot different to the present today. Children had to stay in hospital for several months; the average was about 2 - 3 years compared to the 3-4 days now. There were less visiting hours and the nurses didn't have much knowledge of health. There were also less nurses and doctors. Sick children would sleep in iron beds and often not get out of bed because they were too sick to walk. The school was much larger with a class for each grade, typewriters were used instead of computers and there were a lot of different school activities such as shoe making, typewriting classes etc.
Karina Year 10

Back in 1930 the Royal Princess Alexandra Hospital appeared functional. There were many different aspects, for instance, how they entertained themselves back then. They would play games such as marbles and do wood work and during the war period they wove camouflage nets. Many of the children in hospital in 1930 had polio which affected their limbs. Yet these children still enjoyed a game of football even though they had crutches. Also, back then the nurses had different uniforms compared to now. School back then was different. Now we have school in the hospital, but back then they had school in a different building. The classrooms looked different as well because they had timber tables, different seating arrangements, more children in classes and they most probably learned different things such as weaving and wood work.
Robere Year 8

Many years ago the hospital appeared to be harder, depressing and difficult to cope with. Back then the only activities or entertainment was playing cricket. The building of the hospital was made of timber and the gardens were very muddy. The only entertainment or equipment was a type- writer. The wheel chairs were very similar to the way prams look now. The beds were old and made out of metal. Lunch was usually eaten on a verandah provided by one very important rich man for every patient. Gate passes were not given out and at all times you had to remain in the hospital.
Romina Year 7

The school building was different then because it was made out of timber and outside of hospital grounds. The children were driven to school in cabs. The old school had fewer resources. Sometimes the old school would have classes outside whereas we don't now. The children also got hot lunches delivered to the school and they ate their lunches on the verandah. The children did different crafts to what we do now. They did crafts such as weaving camouflage nets, making toys and making shoes. At the school instead of typing up work on a computer you would be writing on a type writer. The nurses' uniforms were different, they looked more like nuns. The bedrooms were bigger with more people in them. The bedrooms had small metal beds. Lots of children used mirrors to do activities such as puzzles and reading because they couldn't move. Children then spent more time in hospital. The children back then used to play sport even though they may have had a broken leg. Children used to play marbles, football and many other sports.
Euphemia Year 9

Now

Now that we are out of The Depression the hospital is more financially equipped. There is now more modern equipment such as wheel chairs and beds. We also have many things to keep us entertained whilst we are here such as: TV, the Starlight Room, game cubes, Nintendos, pool tables and air hockey. Also, the cafeteria is much different and they even have cafes and restaurants off the ward. The best thing about it is if we are good we get gate passes.
Amy Year 8

The way the Children's Hospital was in the olden days was a lot different to what they are now. Today at the Children's Hospital we have a lot different equipment within the school: the desks, pens and pencils, the books, the computer, the internet, arts and crafts, paints, the Book Bunker and libraries. Also, in the hospital we have a lot of shops like a chemist, restaurant, café, Chinese gardens, bird aviary, the Starlight Room and payphones. In the hospital now the patients' rooms are a lot better to what they use to be like. Now we have a lot better machines, bathrooms, our beds would be a lot more comfortable and they wouldn't have had TV's in their rooms with some pay TV channels on it. With our doctors and nurses their uniforms and their idea's towards making people better is a lot more different to what they do know. With the nurses uniform today the nurses wear a hospital coloured t-shirt and navy blue slacks, the doctors wear slacks as well, as a polo shirt and tie. Today the wheelchairs are a lot more new and a lot easier and smoother to push; the food would be a lot nicer know then what it was back then. The floors in the corridors are know made out of tile and also the floors in the patients rooms, the buildings know are made out of brick, the offices would know have photocopier's and physio people to do physiotherapy.
Hannah Year 7

The Children's Hospital has many entertaining things like the Starlight room, clown doctors, the Book Bunker, pool tables, air hockey, play stations, TV, and much more. The average time people spend in hospital is fairly short, and the technology used is much more advanced e.g. drips, computers, etc. The nurses and doctors are highly educated and there are plenty of them. Children depending on what program they are one are allowed gate passes for the day which allow them to go home and be with their family. Outside there are lovely gardens, a bird aviary and many modern art works. There are a lot of wards in which they have certain children in. For example, Wade Ward is only for adolescents. There are also outpatient programs run in the hospital.
Karina Year 10

In 2005 at the Children's Hospital Westmead we have totally different aspects on things for instance we are not allowed to have wood work because it is an occupational and health hazard to entertain our selves now we have the game blimps clown doctors and also the star light room our perspective now is very different because if we have crutches our doctors would not let us play football the nurses uniforms are also different now as well as the classrooms which are more modern with more recourses have less children in them and we are taught different things again.
Robere Year 8

During this time now hospital is very comforting. We now have very friendly nurses that act like clowns to keep us happy and we stay unafraid. Hospital has now got fantastic entertainment and equipment. We have TV's, game/ starlight room and phones to keep us away from staying board. The hospital provides beds with wheels and wheelchairs so that we find it easier to move around. We also got the opportunity to have education and attend school here at the hospital.
Romina Year 7

Now the hospital school has more and improved entertainment such as clown doctors, the starlight room, TV's, computers and we have the book bunker which allows us to borrow and read books. In the hospital wards there are game rooms with things like a pool table, air hockey table and video games. Now we have group were we do arty projects and it helps you meet everyone from the wards. The bedrooms are now more colourful and homey. The beds are now more moveable and they can go up and down. We now have our own TV's in our bedrooms and have a bedside table that we are able to adjust the height on. We now have better machines that we can wheel them around with us now. The hospital now has beautiful gardens like the Chinese garden and the bird aviary. In the hospital we now have a chemist, Bear café, the cafeteria and the volunteer shop.
Euphemia Year 8

The life for kids in the hospital now is very different to what it used to be. The atmosphere and surroundings are brighter and happier. There is mostly a secure and confident atmosphere. Wards and corridors are decorated with colourful artworks. There are very different forms of entertainment and games. There are clown doctors, TV, a whole library full of novels, the balloon man visits and there is a games room. The hospital provides play stations, board games, pool tables and air hockey. There is a starlight room for kids of all ages, and they provide fun games such as bingo on the starlight channel. The hospital also provides fun activities such as Groups for kids to socialize and have fun. The equipment in the hospital is advanced. There is better technology such as heart monitors, drips and wheelchairs. The beds are reasonably comfortable and there are antibiotics and vaccinations. Patients rarely stay in hospital for a very long time. The staff uniform is comfortable and kids do not need to wear uniforms to school.
Christine Year 8