But now, the 50-year-old seating forms in the John McGlashan College chapel are being sold to make way for new ones.
Principal Mike Corkery said the chapel was traditionally used for school assemblies and formal functions.
Now, it would double as the school's gymnasium while the old gym was being demolished and rebuilt.
Mr Corkery said using the chapel for multiple purposes brought challenges, which included having to move the seating out of the way to make room for gym classes.
"The old chairs have been at the school since 1961 and are very heavy and hard to stack out of the way."
So the school had bought new chairs made of lightweight plastic which would be easier to move, he said.
Only about 20 forms had been sold so far.
They are being sold for $50 each, with proceeds going to the school's Parents and Friends Association which helps fund sporting and cultural equipment purchases.
The school's new $3 million-$4 million gymnasium was expected to be complete early next year, and would have a large court for basketball and badminton, a weights room, a classroom, changing rooms and a teachers' work space.
Plans showed the windows in the building would be made of bullet-proof glass, which would allow more natural light to enter the gymnasium, creating a less gloomy atmosphere during physical education lessons.
