North Sydney Technical High School

North Sydney Technical High School is a heritage-listed former public school, Presbyterian school and education resource centre and now pub at 36 Blue Street, North Sydney, North Sydney Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by George Allen Mansfield (original), William E. Kemp (1891 extension to north), Walter Liberty Vernon (1900 and 1902 addit and built from 1876 to 1877 by W Jago. It is also known as North Sydney Technical High School (former), St Peters Presbyterian School, St. Leonard's Public School, St. Leonard's Superior Public Boys' School, Greenwood Plaza and North Sydney Technical School. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. Over the years, the school has been progressively upgraded as St Leonards Public School, St Leonards Superior Public School, North Sydney Superior Public School, North Sydney Primary School, North Sydney Intermediate High School, North Sydney–Chatswood Junior High, and, finally, as North Sydney Technical High School until its closure in 1969. History Prior to British colonisation in 1788, the eastern part of the north shore of Port Jackson (i.e. Terry Hills, Duffys Forest, Narrabeen, Dee Why, Curl Curl, Freshwater, Manly, Middle Cove, Lane Cove, North Sydney and Chatswood) was originally inhabited by the Gai-mariagal people. Six major family groups comprised the overall Gai-mariagal clan- the main three being Galmai, the Gatlay and the Gammeray. The land on which the former North Sydney Technical High School stands was occupied by the Gammeray people, recently referred to as Cammeraygal or Cammeraigal. First Fleet officer Collins noted that the Gammeray people were 'a stronger and more virile' people than others living around the harbour as they were larger and more numerous. Collins also noted that it was the role of the Gammeray during initiation rites to remove the right front tooth of young men from neighbouring groups, a privilege believed now to be a reciprocal obligation with other groups who had ceremonial obligations with the Gammeray people. In April 1789, almost half of Sydney's Indigenous population died of smallpox. In 1790 Governor Phillip noted '...it is seldom that any of them are now seen near the settlement.' Survivors of the smallpox epidemic regrouped in areas such as Broken Bay, Kissing Point (Ryde), Woolloomooloo, La Perouse and Botany Bay.