Miss Clark's School

Last Saturday I gave a presentation to the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society on a Campbelltown identity from the past named Zillah Dredge. One of the schools Zillah attended was Miss Clark's private school in Cordeaux Street. The Historical Society have since drawn my attention to a few images of this school, including this wonderful photograph of the school below and its children in 1910. A young Zillah Cooper, as she was known then, is standing at the back aged about 12 or 13.

At back standing: Zillah Cooper

Back Row: Edna Tallentire, Daphne Clissold, Marjorie Gore, A. Stubbs

2nd Row: C. Tripp, Biddles, Douglas, ? ? P. Tripp

Front Row: Augustus Gore, Biddles, ?

(Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Little is known about the school. It was believed to have been built in the 1880s and was located at the back of a house at 5 Cordeaux Street. The house was later known as "Rema". According to Zillah the school was a very big room at the back and attached to the house. She described it as like a big dormitory and a big room. Miss Clark ran the school and lived in the house with the owner, her sister Hannah Tallentire. Miss Clark was the daughter of Samuel Clark and Isabella Kearns. She taught about 30-40 students on her own. Zillah believed Miss Clark taught at the school for ten years. The house and the school were demolished about 1975 or 1976.

Despite a comprehensive search of resources, I am unable to find a first name for Miss Clark. If anyone has more information on the school, Miss Clark (including her first name) or photographs, I would be very interested.

The school is in the centre of the photo, attached to the white house in the middle (Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

An earlier photograph showing the school on the right (Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Written by Andrew Allen

Demolished Schoolhouse

It stood on its own in a paddock for 135 years. Then, one day in 1973 this notable landmark fell victim to progress, after resisting demolition for many years. St Peter's Church Schoolhouse was demolished to make way for the construction of Moore-Oxley Bypass.

Tenders were called for the erection of the Church of England Schoolhouse in 1837 with the building completed the following year. It replaced and stood next to where an earlier school was built in 1823 and conducted by Thomas Robinson, who also taught in the new building, until 1839.

The building was regular tuck-pointed red brick with four windows along each side, small paned, in four sections, with a stone lintel and sill. Inside was a large stage that was used for many different performances and over many years. The schoolhouse had an outside toilet nearby, that undoubtedly created trepidation on a dark moonless night as approached.

Besides a schoolhouse, the building was also used for corrective purposes with magistrates regularly meeting to dispense justice. In later years it was used as a parish hall and in the 1950s as a pre-school run by Mrs King. Scouts also used the school and paddock for activities in the 1960s.

The location of the schoolhouse was Moore Street between Reddall and Cordeaux Street in Campbelltown. Today the south-bound side of Moore-Oxley Bypass would run straight over the site. Sandstone bricks from the school were used in a feature wall in the nearby new rectory.

(All photographs are from the Bagley Collection, Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society Collection)

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

ALLEN, Andrew 2018
More than Bricks and Mortar: Remembering Campbelltown's Lost Buildings
Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society: Campbelltown

The Much Loved Mr Newman

One of Campbelltown's most loved and respected teachers was Patrick Newman. Born in Ireland in 1832 to parents Joseph and Alice, young Patrick arrived in Australia in 1852 on the Herald of the Morning.

Patrick's first connection with Campbelltown came twelve years later in 1864 when he took charge of the Catholic School on Old Menangle Road. This building is known today as Quandong. The very popular teacher attracted students to the school and by 1880 enrolments had reached 140. Then in August 1880, amidst much controversy, the popular headmaster was transferred to Campbelltown Public School. Prominent Campbelltown citizen and politician John Kidd was largely behind the move. Enrolments for the Public School were falling and Kidd was aware of Patrick's reputation. Many Protestant children transferred from the Catholic School to the Public after Patrick's transfer, such was the high esteem that he was held in. The Catholics of Campbelltown were furious at what they saw was a deliberate attack on their school. Despite the protests, the Minister of Education refused to take any action.

The relationship between John Kidd and Patrick Newman became closer on his appointment. This relationship got Patrick into trouble on one occasion however. In 1880, not long after his transfer, Patrick drove Kidd to a political meeting at Narellan because Kidd's horse was lame. As attitudes to public and private morality were demonstrated most clearly in reactions to local schoolteachers, Newman was accused of political bias. Teachers were not allowed to express political opinions. The incident, in reality, didn't seem to affect Patrick's popularity with most of the community.

There are a couple of memories of past pupils of Campbelltown Public that provide an insight into Patrick Newman's term at the school. Cricket was a favourite game played by the boys. Mr Newman would not allow them to drive stumps into the ground, but he did allow them to use a stump of a box tree, after they had chopped the tree down, sawn it into logs and stacked it in his backyard. Can you imagine this happening today! One lesson, which Mr Newman insisted upon, was the identification of various snakes, especially venomous ones, and also the treatment of snake bite. He believed it was necessary because of the bush surrounding Campbelltown and a number of boys went shooting at weekends. He advised them, when going into the bush, to always carry in their pocket a length of string, a knife and a sixpence. In case of snake bite, the string was to be used as a ligature and the knife to scarify the wound. If they became lost and came out near a farmhouse, the sixpence was to be used for a meal and possibly transport home.

He had a reputation of being strict and used his cane frequently. Despite this, he was also considerate, especially to children who often became sleepy during lessons because they had to rise early, milk cows and then walk long distances to school.

By the late 1890s Patrick's formerly neat handwriting had become shaky. He was now in his 70s and had been the leading educational figure in the town for 37 years. Mr Newman eventually retired with six month's long service leave in 1901 to his home known as 'Tara" on the leafy hilltop overlooking the school and town he had grown to love. This house still exists on the corner of George and Condamine Streets.

Patrick Newman passed away on October 19, 1909. He was buried in St John's Catholic Cemetery. He died a year after his wife Elizabeth. Patrick took a great interest in the volunteer force and two of his sons served during the Boer War.

The only photograph I could locate of Patrick is this grainy image below. Taken around 1890, it shows Patrick and Elizabeth on a horse drawn buggy somewhere in the local area.

 

(Watson Collection. Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Burns-Wood, J
Campbelltown Public School 1876-1976

Catholic Press, Thursday 28 October 1909, p29

LISTON, Carol 1988
Campbelltown: The Bicentennial History

Campbelltown Public School
Pamphlet Collection
Local Studies Collection
Campbelltown City Library

Avoca Vale Public School

Occasionally I come across information that I was completely unaware of- just when I think I knew everything about Campbelltown there is to know! When researching an enquiry for someone, I discovered there was a school in the area named Avoca Park Public School. This school operated for a very brief period. It was established in 1881 and closed down about 1910. So where was it? Further research revealed that it was situated next to Kilbride homestead, today part of Kilbride Nursing Home in Rosemeadow. A parish map in our collection shows where the school was located: between Appin Road and the water race that ran close to Kilbride.

Amazingly, a search of our photograph collection resulted in a photograph of this school! Taken in about 1909, the faded and grainy image shows a group of children from a different age. A time when the world seemed more innocent. When the pace of life moved so much slower. When World War I had not yet arrived to scar and destroy families from throughout Campbelltown and the country. In front of the photograph are a couple of straw hats and perhaps a cap. I wonder what lives these innocent children were to have?

A search of the Government Gazette on Trove revealed some of the teachers at the school. A Mr Walsh moved there in 1885, followed by John Bath, Miss Crouch, Miss Dash, Miss O'Reilly and Miss McManus in 1908. The children are unidentified, although it is possible that a Haydon girl (later Mrs Jackson) is in the photo. An alderman on Campbelltown Council by the name of Roy Fitzgibbon also attended the school.

Nothing remains of the school today.

Written by Andrew Allen

East Minto Public School

Unidentified people beside East Minto Public School in 1920 (Jessie Newham Collection)


East Minto Public School was opened in September 1898 in Hansens Road, East Minto. The School, like other surrounding schools, served children who lived within a 3 mile (5 kilometre) radius.

East Minto was a one-teacher school. The school's first teacher was Cecil George Browning Sutton. He remained at East Minto Public until he retired in 1921 and remained in the district as an active community member until his death in 1951. The altar at St James Minto is dedicated to him.

The next teacher was Percy Kable who also taught at Campbelltown Public School. He was followed by Mr Haines or Pop Haines as he was known. A former pupil by the name of Keith Longhurst remembered him playing cricket and rounders with the children at lunch time. He was regarded fondly by his pupils. A Miss Henderson taught years 1-2 while Mr Haines took 3-6.

Keith Longhurst described his days at East Minto further: "We were taught reading, writing and arithmetic. And I don't mean maybe- we WERE taught. The only thing that spoilt my school life, if any, was that I was shifted from 2nd class to 4th class in one jump and it was a long hop and of course I missed my tables that you had to learn in 3rd class".

In the 1930s the teachers were Mr Edwards and Miss Frost. The school's numbers remained high during this time. Names such as Etchells, Denison, Longhurst, Porter, Johnson and Hansen being prominent.

On October 2, 1947 the school was destroyed by fire. It started in the early morning and destroyed everything except a store-room. As farms had closed down and the population of East Minto had decreased after World War 2, it was decided not to rebuild. Students were being bused to nearby schools after the fire and eventually they would attend a new school at Minto.

East Minto Public School was located on the corner of Hansen's Road and Hereford Place.

East Minto Public School after the fire that destroyed it in 1947 (A.Denison Collection)


Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

FOWLER, Verlie
"Keith Longhurst- his life and times"
In Grist Mills
Vol. 17, No. 3, pp 2-37, November 2004

LISTON, Carol 1988
Campbelltown: The Bicentennial History