In 1883 an unknown visitor to the Tamworth region wrote a short note to the NSW Government.
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It stated "Seeing that Tamworth is now the principal town in the north and north west interior, it is very evident that a State High School should be established."
While it would take another 33 years for action to bare fruit, that note laid the foundations for Tamworth High School to be built, and for Tamworth to become the city that it is today.
The first move to build a secondary school in Tamworth came from John Patterson in 1905, however the District Inspector of School noted that it "was inopportune" because in the previous six years only two Tamworth students had left town to pursue secondary state education.
While Mr Patterson went on to found Calrossy, in 1911 the Tamworth Municipal Council once again urged the government to establish a high school on the crown land at corner of Napier and Brisbane Streets, above the infants school.
In 1912 the education minister visited the site, and informed the council that $250,000 had been put aside to build public schools, and that Tamworth would "receive favourable consideration."
In 1913 a school inspector, Mr Kennedy, discovered the three local fifth grade teachers, the highest grade of primary school at the time, could not keep up with the number of children coming through.
Three years later the Department of Education approved "the erection of a one-storeyed brick unit on the reserved site."
While WWI delayed the construction, it eventually went ahead, in 1916 a "first year class was formed".
In 1917 a graduate staff of five, led by Edwin Charles Arnold, arrived.
As secondary enrolments exceeded 100 at the Tamworth District School, a further one and three quarter acres was dedicated to the establishment of Tamworth High School, and tenders went out to build the first state high school north of Maitland.
On March 25 1919 the Minister for Education Augustus James officially opened Tamworth High School, with an enrollment of 175 students in five classes and Mr Arnold as principal.
At the completion of that first year Mr Arnold sent the first group of graduates out with some inspiration from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
"To thine own self be true," he told them.
"To you know lie open the doors of all the professions of the world ..... the QC Examination (current day HSC) has given you a key with which you can open the strong room within which the 'Kings Treasures' are locked away. It is for you to decide how much or how little you will carry away."
Student numbers immediately increased, however the introduction of a school fee of $4.20 per term in 1924 saw numbers dwindle.
That also coincided the opening of a Commercial School which did not charge fees, however in 1928 the Commercial School became a part of Tamworth High, and numbers exponentially increased for the following 40 years.
Despite several additions to the school, including multiple portable classrooms by the 1950's the school was badly overcrowded, and a new campus needed.
on May 9 1960 Stage 1 of where Tamworth High stands today was complete, and in 1961 the new school was officially opened on September 29.
While the new campus was built to house 1600 students, it soon became clear that a second state high school was needed in Tamworth.
In 1967 numbers at Tamworth High peaked at 1771, before Oxley High School opened its doors in 1968, reducing numbers at Tamworth High to 1420.
These days the school population sits at just over 700, and while the Willis Street campus has continued to grow and change the culture of the school has never wavered according to former teacher and Centenary Committee Chair Ken Hall.
"I think Tamworth High School has always been a reflection of the whole of Tamworth," he said.
"Tamworth has a very diverse population, and Tamworth High has always had representatives of all those groups - very much a cosmopolitan school.
"There has always been a really strong sense of community in the school, and I believe that pride and culture comes from having such a long and rich history."
While the school has produced hundreds of exceptional students over the years, from high court judges to award winning actors, and everything in between, for a long time it was known as one of the great sporting nurseries of regional Australia.
The First XIII rugby league side won no less than 14 University Shields, making it the second most decorated school in the 97 year history of the prestigious competition.
Similarly the school has won 14 Water Polo State Knockouts in the opens, and 13 in the Under 15s, while also producing six Olympians across four sports.
On Saturday night the school celebrated its rich history with a gala dinner at Wests Leagues Club, following a week long centenary celebration that incorporated the retrieval and burial of time capsules, a range of performances, a day of sporting events and campus tours.