History of boarding

There were boarders in Miss Hooke's Woodstock from 1886 to 1912, and then in Wenona from 1922 when Miss Ralston moved Wenona to Walker Street.

There, in what was to become School House, girls were brought up as though they were daughters in an English country house. They changed for dinner. On Sundays, they wore white dresses and walked in crocodile formation to St Thomas's Church North Sydney, or travelled to St Stephen's in the city. Afternoons were spent mending or sewing, while the Headmistress read aloud to them. Black velvet dresses were worn for dinner. Until the 1960s, boarders needed over 40 items of uniform!

As demand grew, adjoining properties were purchased and converted to boarding accommodation.

In 1937, a three-storey home in Walker Street opposite School House was purchased and named Hooke House. This was later demolished when the Junior School was built, and all boarding facilities were moved back to the west side of Walker Street.

In 1939, extensive renovations and refurbishment were carried out to School House. In the new wing there were an enlarged dining room, a kitchen and a dormitory for boarders. This area is now the Music Centre.

During World War II, Wenona and its Headmistress stayed put in the face of the Japanese advance. Boarders dug their own trenches in the playground.

In 1963, Allard House and the present Palmer Boarding House were purchased.

In 1986, Dame Doris Fitton's house in Ridge Street was purchased. It became Pascoe Boarding House.

In 1999, an additional boarding house on Ridge Street was acquired. Named Woodstock, it enabled all the boarding houses to be linked.

In 2007, Allard House, which had previously been used as the Principal's residence, became a fourth boarding house. It now houses senior boarders and a staff member.

The four cottages now housing boarders have names associated with Wenona's history – Palmer, Pascoe, Woodstock and Allard.