The first day of Melville High School was Thursday the 3rd February, 1983.
Where the schools name came from:
ROBERT GAVIN MELVILLE (1919-1982)
Robert (Bob) Melville was born in West Kempsey and attended West Kempsey Primary School and Kempsey High School.
He left school at the age of 14 years of age during the Depression to work with his father in his bricklaying business. Many major buildings on the North Coast stand testimony to his skill as a tradesman. These include Port Macquarie High School and the Kempsey Civic Centre.
Mr Melville entered local government in 1955 at a bi-election and was elected Mayor by popular vote in 1959 and later by vote of Council, a position he held until the amalgamations in 1975.
In 1972 Mr Melville was elected for a two-year term as president of the Local Government Association of N.S.W. and he represented local government in N.S.W. at the meetings of the Australian Constitution Review Convention.
For 25 years he served as a member of the Kempsey District Hospital Board and 9 of those years was as Chairman of the Board.
As a member of the Australian Labour Party, Mr Melville was elected to the Legislative Council of the State Parliament retiring after 8 ½ years of service in 1981. During his parliamentary service he constantly advocated a better deal for country people, the farming community and educational facilities and opportunities for country children.
Mr Melville cherished the opportunity and though he never sought personal recognition, he would have been overwhelmed by the tribute paid to his public service by the naming of MELVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.
