New Zealand - Auckland - Avondale College - 1979 - Form 6.4 Avondale College - Established in 1945 - It is the third largest secondary school in New Zealand - The site and buildings of Avondale College started as an American Naval Hospital in 1943 - The war in the Pacific did not reach the scale preparations had been made for, and the hospital was not used to care for war casualties - On the evening of 10 April 1990, a major fire at the school destroyed the administration block, assembly hall, gymnasium, and thirteen classrooms. At its peak, 200 firefighters and 26 fire appliances fought the blaze