Schools
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Research by Gordon Freegard The very first school in the district was started
at Canning Sawmills in 1891, setup and provided by the Canning Jarrah Timber Company for the children
of its workers. Later it used the Methodist Church building on the south east
corner of Canning Road and Canning Mills Road, that was rented out to the
Education Department. After the mill closed the school continued until
diminishing numbers finally caused it close in 1930. When the mill closed many of the workers started
orchards on the land that had been cleared of the heavy timber by the mill. As
the orchards got established a more central position was needed for a school so
a site was established near the front gate of Illawarra Orchard in 1913. Miss
Maggie Ferguson was the first teacher at this Karragullen School with 12 children attending. Mr. Price
deliberately advertised and employed a family at Illawarra Orchard that had a
large family of children to help boost the numbers for the school. Because development went more towards to
south-east, it was decided that in 1919 to move the Karragullen School to what is now
Brookton Highway near the "Rock Inne". The loft at Hanbury's two
storey barn was initially used while the school building was moved. As numbers
increased a second schoolroom was added in 1952. In the next few years a need for another school
at Canning Mills was recommended as the numbers of children of families near
the old Saw Mill site, had increased enough to justify it. In early 1936 the Under-Secretary for Lands received a request from the Director of Education, Mr. J. A. Klein, for an area of land at Canning Mills be set aside for the purpose of a school site, The Lands Department agreed to grant a site at Canning Mills in Perth water supply reserve No. 1774. The new schoolroom was
erected across the road from the Methodist Church school, which had now been
demolished, on the south west corner of the junction of Canning Road and
Canning Mills Road. Mr. Bert Forrest was appointed the first teacher for the
new Canning Mills School. The school building was late in completion so a large room at Mrs.
McKay's house, which was the old mill managers house, was used temporary. This
Canning Mills School continued until 1956 when it finally closed. In the
meanwhile it was decided to transfer the Karragullen School into a more central
position by moving it right into the townsite itself, where it remained until it
finally closed in 1999 due to falling numbers and most of the children
transferred to Pickering Brook Primary School.
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1891 Enrolled were 19 boys and 11 girls. Below is an article sent in by a correspondent to "THE WEST AUSTRALIAN" and published on WEDNESDAY 29th JULY 1891 The last rail of Mr. E. Keane's Canning line of railway running up to Messers L. White & Co.'s timber mills was laid on Saturday 25th July, and immediately afterwards two trucks were loaded with timber and depatched to Guildford. This line, including the zigzag, measure 19 miles, and is now completed except a short distance requiring ballasting. It is however available for trains. It has been constructed with that rigidity consistent with good workmanship characteristic of everything Mr. Keane takes in hand, only eleven months having been occupied in the work. Messers. White & Co.'s mill is very busy executing the orders entrusted to them, which are both numerous and likely to extend over a considerable time, amongst them being orders for the Midland Railway, and a huge order from the South Australian Government. At the present time they have 70,000 sleepers ready for despatch, besides other timber, and the 70 hands at the mill are consequently kept busily employed. In fact, in order to overtake the work, it will be necessary to put on more hands. A want much felt at the station is a school. There are between thirty and forty children there, and it is to be hoped , that in order to provide them with schooling, the Central Board of Education will see their way to accepting the liberal offer which has been made by Mr. White. He has offered to erect not only a school, but also a four-roomed cottage for the teacher, if the Government will provide the latter and also the school furniture. Another want is a mail delivering. Indeed, if it could be found possible to establish a post office there, and appoint some person to discharge the duties of postmaster and schoolteacher combined, it would I think, cover the requirements. I need hardly say that such an appointment would be no new thing, as there are instances at the present time of one person holding two such appointments. 1892 1893 Enrolled were 22 boys and 18 girls. 1894 1895 Enrolled were 33 boys and 19 girls.
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1896 Below is part of an article published in the "WEST AUSTRALIAN" on Friday 13th November 1896. It is about the Annual Synod of the Wesleyan Methodist Church and deals with the building of the Methodist Church building at Canning Mills which was opened by Rev. G. E. Rowe on Sunday 16th August 1896. This building was later hired by the Education Department to use as the school. The Chairman stated that the Canning Jarrah Timber Company had given free of cost the whole of the jarrah timber for the new church which has been erected on the mills. The generosity of the company was appreciated by the synod.
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TEACHER LEONARD J. BUTLER |
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1897 1898 1899 Medals for Complete Attendance were awarded to: Children known to have attended: MAUD DEWAR, EMMA PURSER, FRANCIS PURSER 1900 1901 In the Subscription List for the presentation to Duke and Dichess of York, the 31 children at Canning Mills gave seven shillings and eight pence. 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908
1909 1910 1911 1912 1913
1914
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1914? CANNING MILLS SCHOOOL GROUP |
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1915 1916 1917
1918 1919 1920 The side walls had a number of tall windows in
them. The desks held four or five pupils in a row. The desk top sloped slightly
and had a low ledge to stop pencils rolling off. The set was attached to the
cast iron framework and had no back to it. No blackboards were attached to the
walls, so the teacher had to make do with blackboards on easels. A few charts
and pictures could be hung between the windows and there was a large cupboard
or two for storage of pads, chalk, pencils etc. Winter heating came from an old
time pot-bellied cast iron stove standing on a large sheet of flat iron tacked
to the wooden floor. Water was reticulated to some wash basins in the porch
and there were two "little houses" to the south. The pans from these
were cleared once weekly by a contractor, who also serviced the Inn and the
houses. A small garden was fenced off along the eastern wall of the school and
for playground, the children were free to go anywhere about the immediate
vicinity. The was no definite playground and it was hard to find a level patch
as the land thereabout sloped down to the railway line and beyond it to the
creek. Teacher Miss Ida ARMSTRONG Salary 144 pounds + 12 pounds 1921 1922 1923 Teacher Laura BETHERAS Salary 180 pounds 1924 Teacher Laura BETHERAS Salary 180 pounds 1925 Teacher Laura BETHERAS Salary 180 pounds 1926 Teacher Laura BETHERAS Salary 180 pounds 1927 1928
1929 1930 Due to falling numbers the school was finally
closed down on 28th February. 1933 School re-opened 10th July. 1934 Children known to have attended: WALLY SHARPE
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1935 The Hills Inter-school Sports were held at Walliston on November 22nd, with Barton's Mill, Canning Mills, Carmel, Pickering Brook and Maida Vale Schools competing for the R. S. Sampson Centenary Shield. It was Won by Barton's Mill, with 162 points, Maida Vale being the runners-up and winning the "J. Watson Cup" with 104 points. The champion athlete of the day was Frank Gibbs, of Barton's Mill, who gained 50 points for his school. Children known to have attended: WALLY SHARPE
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1936 A new School room was built on the south-west
corner of the junction of Canning Road and Canning Mills Road. The school
building consisted of a schoolroom with a verandah on the north side. Besides
the verandah and parallel to it, was an access ramp, running from the downhill
side up to the far end of the verandah. The school ground sloped and there was
a fall of about a metre from one end of the school to the other. Teacher Mr. Bert FORREST Children known to have attended: SILIO DI MARCO, WALLY SHARPE, BARBARA SLEIGHT LYNN SLEIGHT, SYLVIA SLEIGHT
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Mr. BERT FORREST |
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CANNING MILLS NEW SCHOOL 1936c #7 |
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CANNING MILLS NEW SCHOOL 1936c #6 Standing in Front; Last on right SILIO DI MARCO |
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1937 Children known to have attended: SILIO DI MARCO, WALLY SHARPE, BARBARA SLEIGHT, LYNN SLEIGHT, SYLVIA SLEIGHT
1938 Children known to have attended: SILIO DI MARCO, WALLY SHARPE, BARBARA SLEIGHT, LYNN SLEIGHT, SYLVIA SLEIGHT |
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IMAGE TAKEN FROM CANNING MILLS NEW SCHOOL YARD 1936c #8
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1939 |
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1939 Back Row: WALLY SHARPE, ROY BOVANI, Middle Row: BARBARA SLEIGHT, SLEIGHT, Front Row: SILIO DIMARCO, BLAGZ URSICH, Sitting: BILLY SLEIGHT, BERT URSICH #2 |
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1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
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1949 Back Row (L-R): ARTHUR LITTLEY, DAVID LITTLEY, VILMA TONUSSO, VIANNA BOVANI, ELSA TONUSSO, CEASER PERPOLI, BRUNO POLETTI. (Photo used with permission of the City of Armadale Birtwistle Local Studies Library) |
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1950 Children known to have attended: ANNETTE LANTZKE, HUGH LANTZKE, BRUNO POLLETTI, ESDRA TONUSSO
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1951 Children known to have attended: JANICE HERBERT, ROSS HERBERT, ANNETTE LANTZKE, HUGH LANTZKE, BRUNO POLLETTI, ESDRA TONUSSO
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1952 Children known to have attended: ANNETTE LANTZKE, HUGH LANTZKE, BRUNO POLLETTI, ESDRA TONUSSO
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1953
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1953 Back Row L - R: JOE NICHOLLS, MICHAEL NICHOLLS, BRUNO POLLETTI, MALCOLM LITTLELY, ARTHUR LITTLELY.
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MALCOLM LITTLELY #5 |
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1954
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1955
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1956
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Articles: A. J. Chate Images: 1 Tom Price
Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2008 - 2023
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