A familiar sight before and after school is the chartered buses that take many of our boys from locations across Sydney to the College and back each day. But how did this start?

On 21 January 1936, a sub-committee of the Finance Committee of the College Council was formed to investigate ‘conveyance of junior boys to and from School’. This issue arose from the closure of Ashfield Grammar Preparatory School and the transfer of thirty of its boys to Newington. The sub-committee recommended against buying a bus but in favour of introducing a charter service. The cost to parents was not to exceed one sixth per boy per week.

On 25 February, the Headmaster, Philip Le Couteur, reported to the Committee that the service was proving a success, with twenty eight boys using it daily. It was costing the College 16/- per day, higher than the original estimate because the route from Ashfield now went via ‘Dobroyde’ (Dobroyd Point). Le Couteur also reported that the bus was taking boys to the rowing shed at Abbotsford, costing a further 10/- per day. He expected the total cost to be £20 until Regatta Day.

In July the Headmaster reported that the bus was being used to transport boys to Long Bay for rifle shooting practice on Mondays, at 12/- per trip. The boys were reported ‘providing their own way home’ from there.

During the Second World War, petrol shortages resulted in the bus being fitted with a large gas bag on its roof. Old Newingtonian Don Dwyer (ON ’49) recalls that the bag was sometimes torn by overhanging shop awnings, with the result that the gas escaped and the boys did not get to school until morning break.

Our illustration shows a later bus, loaded with racing boats and filled with boys about to depart for the 1951 Head of the River (From the collection of Barrie Titcume (ON ’51).

David Roberts
College Archivist