Volleyball

A cracked sphere, once a sports ball, sits on a dusty concrete floor at Macquarie Boys' Technology High School in Rydalmere, a blue strap curled around its base and 2 plastic bottles nearby. Wooden support beams throw diagonal shadows across the floor, their braces forming a skeletal grid above the debris. The low ceiling and rough concrete suggest a service or storage space rather than a court, in a building that has not run a game since the school closed at the end of 2009. The school's history on that site stretches back to 1958, when the campus on the corner of Kissing Point Road and what is now James Ruse Drive in North Parramatta opened to students. The institution itself was older: post-primary boys' classes had operated in the district since 1920, first under the name Parramatta Intermediate High School, then as Parramatta Junior High School from 1944, then as Macquarie Boys' High School from 1955. The Technology designation was added in 1989, reflecting a shift in curriculum emphasis. By 2007, enrolments had fallen to 220 students, with projections suggesting 180 for the following year. The NSW Education Minister announced closure on 23 August 2007. Years 7 to 10 were discontinued at the start of 2008, with remaining Year 11 and 12 students allowed to complete their HSC. The school closed permanently at the end of 2009. A proposal to operate Lachlan Macquarie College from the site, with $3 million in government funding allocated and the University of Western Sydney holding a prospective lease, came to nothing. By 2015, the university had confirmed it would not proceed. The campus remained vacant and maintained, a government asset without a purpose. Three fires followed. The main hall was gutted on 23 July 2016. A second fire destroyed another building in May 2017. A third occurred in April 2018. Demolition of all remaining structures was approved and completed between August and November 2018. The ball in this 2015 photograph precedes all of that. The building still stands. The ball is simply there, as if someone set it down and did not come back.