John Purchase Public School

School History

Our school takes its name from the original landholder of the area. John Purchase, his wife Betsey and son John, ages two years, arrived in Sydney on the "James Pattison", on 17th December, 1838 as bounty immigrants from Somerset in the British Isles.

Whilst John was a stonemason by trade, he worked as a timber merchant felling trees on land that he bought and leased in Pennant Hills and Thornleigh. A small area of the land near the present Purchase Road was cleared and an orange orchard planted. A nursery was also established.

John became a lay preacher of the Parramatta Wesleyan Circuit and by 1858 had gained a place in the social standing of Parramatta. He was appointed a Foundation Trustee of Parramatta Park, the large estate of crown land on which Government House has stood since the 1790’s.

John died in 1865, Betsey in 1894. Only two of their 13 son’s survived them.

The Purchase family home was built on the oval between Purchase Road and Shepherds Drive.

The Pennant Hills land was subdivided and sold in small acreages in 1907. The old family home was burnt down by developers in the mid 1970’s to make way for subdivisions of the new suburb of Cherrybrook.  

The school enrolled its first 240 students on 30th January 1986. It was built at a cost of two million dollars and begun with 10 brick classrooms and a staff of twelve led by principal Mr Jack Hill.

The school logo is based on a design by a Year Four student, Elsa Nicholson, who was inspired by the leaves and nuts of the brushbox trees that are a feature of the school playground.

The school motto was also selected through a competition at this time. “Advance Together” continues to inspire students, staff and community.

The school colours are green and gold.

Students are divided into four houses which have the following Aboriginal names:

• ARINYA (Kangaroo) – Red
• BUKARI (Ring Tail Possum) - Blue
• DERIBONG (Green Tree) – Green
• MERIKI (Night Bird) – Yellow

Acknowledgments: Helen Barker, Research Member (Hornsby Shire Historical Society)