Port Hedland Primary School’s students are divided into four factions with corresponding colours:
Turner – red
Yule – yellow
De Grey – green
Shaw – blue
Learn a little about the history of each faction name below.
Our factions are of key importance for sporting events, in particular our annual athletics carnival. All children in the one family are placed in the same faction.
The school recently introduced the “Faction Ticket” reward system for helpful and positive behaviours in the playground. Duty teachers carry faction tickets on them at recess at lunch to hand out to notable students. A running total of cumulative faction tickets are announced fortnightly during the whole school assembly. At the end of the year, the winning faction will receive a special prize for their citizenship efforts.
The four factions represent four rivers in the Pilbara region in the vicinity of Port Hedland, each flowing towards the majestic Indian Ocean by which our coastal town is nestled.
The Turner River is 236 kilometres long and crosses the North West Coastal Highway about 40 kilometres south of Port Hedland. Its traditional Aboriginal owners are the Kariyarra people.
The Yule River is about 190 kilometres long and crosses the North West Coastal Highway 60 kilometres South of Port Hedland. It is an ephemeral river known to go two years without significant water. Its traditional owners are the Injibandi and Njamal Aboriginal people.
The de Grey River is about 190 kilometres long and flows into the Indian Ocean approximately 80 kilometres north east of Port Hedland. It was named by explorer Gregory after Thomas de Grey, Second Earl de Grey in 1861. Earl de Grey was the president of the Royal Geographical Society at this time.
The Shaw River is a tributary of the de Grey River, the two connecting approximately 50 kilometres from Port Hedland South of the North West Coastal Highway. It is ephemeral in nature, as are many rivers in this region due to the desert-like conditions over winter.