Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools

The Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS) is an Australian association for independent girls' schools, founded in New South Wales, Australia.

Established in 1916 as The Association of Head Mistresses of New South Wales, the Association decided to trade as Independent Girls' Schools Association (IGSA). The Association in 2022 comprised 32 member schools, enables inter-school aesthetic, cultural and sporting activities between New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory's independent and Catholic girls' schools.

AHIGS also exists for the purpose of encouraging communication and a bond of co-operation and collegiality among independent girls' schools and their "heads", and working towards advancing the cause of the education of girls through policy development on major issues of concern. The association actively represents its members and the interests of their schools at a political level, through lobbying governments and politicians. Through AHIGS competitions, member schools and their students, are encouraged to value good sportsmanship, participation, team spirit and fairness above undue competitiveness and individualism.

Of New South Wales' fifteen female Rhodes Scholars (1904 to 2009), eight have attended an AHIGS School.

Schools

Members School Location Enrolment Founded Denomination Day / Boarding School coloursAbbotsleigh School for Girls Wahroonga1,370 1885 AnglicanDay & BoardingAscham SchoolEdgecliff1,000 1886 Non-denominationalDay & BoardingBrigidine CollegeSt Ives 850 1954 Roman CatholicDayCanberra Girls' Grammar SchoolDeakin 1,450 1926 AnglicanDay & BoardingDanebank Anglican School for GirlsHurstville 910 1933 AnglicanDayFrensham SchoolMittagong 300 1913 Non-denominationalDay & BoardingKambalaRose Bay 950 1887 AnglicanDay & BoardingKincoppal-Rose BayRose Bay 930 1882 Roman CatholicDay & BoardingLoreto KirribilliKirribilli 1,030 1901 Roman CatholicDayLoreto NormanhurstNormanhurst 900 1897 Roman CatholicDay & BoardingMeridenStrathfield 850 1897 AnglicanDayMLC SchoolBurwood 1,260 1886 Uniting ChurchDayMonte Sant'Angelo Mercy CollegeNorth Sydney 1,080 1875 Roman CatholicDayMount St Benedict CollegePennant Hills~10281966Roman CatholicDayNew England Girls' SchoolArmidale 380 1895 AnglicanDay & BoardingOur Lady of Mercy CollegeParramatta 1,030 1889 Roman CatholicDayPresbyterian Ladies' College, ArmidaleArmidale 400 1887 PresbyterianDay & BoardingPresbyterian Ladies' College, SydneyCroydon 1,350 1888 PresbyterianDay & BoardingPymble Ladies' CollegePymble 2,135 1916 Uniting ChurchDay & BoardingQueenwood School for GirlsMosman 800 1925 Non-denominationalDayRavenswood School for GirlsGordon 1,140 1901 Uniting ChurchDay & BoardingRoseville CollegeRoseville 790 1908 AnglicanDaySCEGGS DarlinghurstDarlinghurst 890 1895 AnglicanDaySt Catherine's SchoolWaverley 910 1856 AnglicanDay & Boarding St Patrick's College 850 1840 Roman Catholic Day St Scholastica's CollegeGlebeSt Vincent's CollegePotts Point 680 1858 Roman CatholicDay & BoardingSanta Sabina CollegeStrathfield 1,500 1894 Roman CatholicDay Stella Maris College 900 1931 Roman Catholic Day Tangara school for GirlsCherrybrook 660 1982 Roman CatholicDayTara Anglican School for GirlsNorth Parramatta 1,000 1897 AnglicanDay & BoardingWenona SchoolNorth Sydney 815 1886 Non-denominationalDay & Boarding

Former members SchoolLocationDenominationFoundedClosed/MergedYearsCompetedBrighton CollegeManly1889Closed 1960?–1960 Calrossy Anglican School for Girls Tamworth Anglican 1919Claremont CollegeRandwickAnglican1882Secondary school closed 1966?–1966Normanhurst SchoolAshfieldNon-denominational1882Closed 1941?–1941Presbyterian Ladies' CollegeGoulburnPresbyterian1921Closed 19701956–1966Presbyterian Ladies' CollegeOrangePresbyterian1928Merged 1975 with Wolaroi College to form Kinross Wolaroi School 1928–1975Sydney Church of England Girls' Grammar School, RedlandsCremorneAnglican1884Became SCECGS Redlands in 1976?–1975SCEGGS WollongongWollongongAnglican1955Merged 1976 with The Illawarra Grammar School1955–1976SCEGGS Moss ValeMoss ValeAnglican1906Closed 1974?–1974St Clare's CollegeWaverleySt Luke's Anglican School for Girls'Dee Why[Anglican1961Amalgamated 1992 with Peninsula Anglican Boys School and Roseby Preparatory School to form St Lukes Grammar School1961–?

History At the Women's Club on 8 November 1916 a group of eight Headmistresses formed The Association of Head Mistresses of New South Wales, with Miss Edith Badham (SCEGGS Darlinghurst) elected as Foundation President.

The eight founding schools were: Abbotsleigh, Wahroonga Normanhurst School, Ashfield (no longer exists). Kambala, Rose Bay Meriden School, Strathfield Methodist Ladies' College, Burwood The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Croydon (now Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney) Ravenswood School for Girls, Gordon The Sydney Church of England Girls' Grammar School (now SCEGGS Darlinghurst)

Eligibility for membership was eventually offered to a further 24 girls' schools.

In 1945, a national association was formed, and AHIGS New South Wales heads served as Presidents of that organisation as follows: 1950–1952 Miss D. Knox (PLC Pymble) 1959–1962 Miss P. Bryant (Frensham) 1975–1978 Miss B. Chisholm (SCEGGS) 1985 Miss K. McCredie (Abbotsleigh). The national organisation was disbanded on 26 August 1985 when the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia was founded.

AHIGS first admitted male heads of girls' schools to membership from 1973 however, so far no male member has been elected to the position of President.

Presidents of the New South Wales association Term President School Years as Principal Notes1950Miss Beatrice L. RennieQueenwood1931–1961 1952Miss Barbara ChisholmSCEGGS Darlinghurst1947–1977 1955Dorothy Whitehead Ascham School1949–1961 1956Fifi HawthorneKambala1933–1966 1957Kathleen CragoRavenswood1932–1961 1958–1959 Miss Ann CrockerBrighton College, Manly1943– 1960 1960Miss Faith PattersonSt Catherine's1955–1987 1961Miss Edith M. Ralston Wenona1920–1963 1962–1963Miss Phyllis BryantFrensham1938–1965 1964Mrs Isobel HumpherySCEGGS Redlands1946–1973 1965Miss Barbara ChisholmSCEGGS Darlinghurst1947–1977 1966 Miss Freda L. Whitlam PLC Croydon1958–1976 1967 Miss Dorothy Knox Pymble1936–1947 1968Miss Merrilee Roberts Ascham1961–1972 1969Miss Phyllis EvansRavenswood1962–1985 1970 Miss Sheila Morton Meriden1966–1984 1971 Miss Faith Patterson St Catherine's1955–19871972 Miss Joyce Gibbons Kambala1966–1984 1973Miss Violet Medway Queenwood1942–1982 1974 Miss Barbara Jackson Wenona1967–1994 1975 Miss Kathleen McCredieAbbotsleigh1970–1987 1976 Miss Cynthia ParkerFrensham1968–1993 1977Miss Barbara ChisholmSCEGGS Darlinghurst1947–1977 1978Miss Jeanette BuckhamPymble1967–1989 1979 Mrs Joy ParkTara 1974–19791980Miss Phyllis EvansRavenswood1962–1985 1981Miss Faith PattersonSt Catherine's1955–1987 1982Miss Sheila Morton Meriden1966–19841983 Mrs Mary Richardson Roseville College 1972–1984 1984Mrs Rowena Danziger Ascham1973–2003 1985Miss Kathleen McCredie Abbotsleigh1970–1987 1986Miss Cynthia Parker Frensham1968–1993 1987 Miss Diana BowmanSCEGGS Darlinghurst1978–1996 1988–1989 Dr Jan MilburnNEGS1973–1989 1989–1991Mrs Denise ThomasMeriden1985–2002 1991–1993 Miss Diana BowmanSCEGGS Darlinghurst1978–1996 1993–1995Mrs Joy Yeo Roseville College1985–1999 1995–1997 Mrs Judith Wheeldon Abbotsleigh1996–2004 1997–1999 Mrs Gillian MoorePymble1989–2007 1999–2001 Miss Rosalyn BirdDanebank1988–20102001–2003 Mrs Margaret Hadley Wenona1995–2007 2003–2005 Mrs Kem BrayQueenwood1996–2008 2006–2007Mrs Margaret White Kambala2000–2014 2008Mrs Carol Bowern Tara2000–2008 2009–2010Ms Vicki Steer Ravenswood2005–20152011–2012Dr Briony Scott Wenona2011–20242013–2014Mrs Vicki WatersPymble2007–20192015–2016Mrs Megan KrimmerRoseville College2012–20162017–2020Mrs Susan MiddlebrookTara2009-20232020–2022Dr Julie GreenhalghMeriden2007–20222022–2025Ms Lisa MoloneyMLC School2018–20252026–presentMrs Megan KrimmerAbbotsleigh2017-Present

Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association The thirty-two members' schools of AHIGS are eligible to participate and compete against each other in a number of sporting carnivals and interschool sports through IGSA Sport (formerly known as IGSSA). Secondary school girls compete in team and individual sports at school level and can be selected to represent IGSA Sport as part of the NSWCIS and All Schools sporting pathways.

Archdale debating competition The Archdale Debating Competition is a competition conducted by the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools for the benefit of students from 24 of its members' schools.

Established in the early 1970s, it is an annual competition conducted over two terms (typically between March and August), with each member school entering a team into each of the divisions. The Archdale Shield is awarded to the school which performs best across the whole competition. The award is determined through an overall points score after the conclusion of the final round.

The competition is named in honour of Helen Elizabeth (Betty) Archdale (August 21, 1907–January 11, 2000), former principal of The Women's College at the University of Sydney (1946–1957), and former headmistress of Abbotsleigh (1958–1970). Betty Archdale was also a talented cricketer, captaining the English women's cricket team in 1934 and 1935. In 1944 Archdale was awarded an Order of the British Empire for her part in getting nurses out of Singapore during World War II. In 1999 she was one of the first ten women to be granted Honorary Life Membership of Marylebone Cricket Club in England. Archdale was listed as an Australian Living Treasure in 1997.

History Although a number of AHIGS schools offered debating as an extracurricular activity from around the 1920s, it was not until the 1960s that inter-school debating became common among girls' schools.

In 1971, following a debate between Abbotsleigh and a combined high schools team, the decision was made to form a debating organisation for independent girls' schools. This organisation was called 'ISSGDA', and it was made up of sixteen independent schools (girls' and co-educational) divided into four geographic areas for competition purposes.

The first ISSGDA final was contested between Abbotsleigh and Moriah College (the only non-AHIGS school to compete) at Abbotsleigh. The trophy, which Miss Archdale had donated, was won by Abbotsleigh and presented by Miss Kathleen McCredie, the then headmistress of Abbotsleigh. From this point on, the competition became known as the 'Archdale Debating Competition'.

Archdale winners