Macleod High School Alumni

Visit by 1954 Foundation Student Michael Downes

On Thursday 25 August, we had a visit from a former Macleod High School foundation student, Michael Downes, who was a student  from 1954 - 1958. He had some interesting information regarding the school during his years here and spent time reading past Dunvegan magazines.

He is currently writing his memoirs and here are some memories he has shared with us:

"Macleod High School was not quite finished for the beginning of 1954, so we spent the first term at Westgarth Central School, where they ran staggered hours. Macleod were there from 7.30am until lunchtime and the Westgarth students afternoons until 6pm. 

During my time at school, we were very close to the leader of the Macleod Clan, Dame Flora Macleod. She visited the school twice whilst I was there, leaving her home at Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye. I can remember that we held her in great esteem, and others of the Macleod Clan based in Melbourne would turn out to be with us on these reunions.

The school building (the first of many as it was developed for other students through the years) was a single long construction with a small library, 6 classrooms and two science labs. The outside was asphalt paved for about 30 metres all around the building except at the library end where a larger area became an assembly yard. Apart from the pavements the grounds were nothing except paddocks and between the school and railway station there was a rickety wooden bridge across a creek.

Macleod was a tiny village with not much housing. Beyond the school were open paddocks and I can remember our “cross-country” running was scrambling through bushland and scrub, over rocks and in the mud near where we live today.

Every Monday morning, our Headmaster Mr. Myer would gather the 155 of us plus the 12 or so teachers and staff in the assembly area.  Mr Meyer would stand on a retaining wall, so he could see us and be seen................"

That retaining wall is still standing in front of the administration building, and Principal Mario Panaccio addressed the whole school at an assembly there when we commemorated the 60th Jubilee in 2014.