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Bruce Fulton, Principal of Traralgon South Primary School (No. 2114), thanked the Society
for his invitation to speak on the 125 year anniversary of the school. He has been associated with
the Traralgon South Primary School for the last twenty-five years, although he has taught at other
schools in between.
First known as Traralgon Creek South School, it was one of the first in the area. Along with
Traralgon Creek (Koornalla), Upper Traralgon Creek (LeRoy), Balook, Blackwarry Callignee
and Callignee South, it made up the district schools and is the only one that survives today. In its
first 100 years the school barely grew - in its first year, enrolment was twenty-nine (this included
six of the Head Teacher's children) with an average attendance of sixteen pupils, and in 1979
enrolment was thirty-three. For many years enrolments were far greater than the average daily
attendances, probably due to such things as farm work taking precedence or the difficulties
encountered in getting to school.
The First World War had a direct impact on schools in the district and during the war years
attendance rates fluctuated greatly. The Head Teacher during the first years of the War was
Albert Callow. An inquiry by the District Inspector was conducted and in early 1916 the
Education Department Director wrote that "while the charge of making pro-German statements
was not sustained, Mr Callow was informed that a wiser discretion in his comments on the war
was needed.
A number of female teachers, who seemed to experience greater difficulty with the
community, were appointed. Teachers rarely stayed for any length of time in the early years, and
by July, 1916, the fourth Head Teacher in five months was appointed.
In 1917, and after a precarious period, a new Head Teacher, Mr Herbert Cook, was appointed.
Under his charge the school engaged in fund raising activities for the War, albeit under
difficult circumstances as described by his daughter, Winifred Lade:
"When my father arrived to inspect the school residence (the load of furniture
was just arriving) he was dismayed and disgusted to find the Education Department had
t ransferred him to a school where it was impossible to house a family.
The schoolhouse was attached to the school. It consisted of only 3 small rooms, one
very small living room and an unlined kitchen, where rats ran around the wall as we sat
at the meal table. As it was impossible for the family to live under these conditions,
my father bought a large roll of hessian and with this, he halved the size of the
schoolroom. He then divided the cut off into rooms. These were our bedrooms.
Measles broke out at our school. We became ill and were put to bed, where to the
delight of the other children, and to our embarrassment, the children in the school were able to stand on the desks and look at us over the top of the
hessian. They could also crawl underneath as the material did not go right to the floor." |
After the War the school council set about making requests for a new school. As far back as
1911 it was recorded in council minutes that "the School was erected about 30 years ago and the
walls are eaten away by white ants, the blocks are worn out and the ventilation is very bad" and
in 192l "The school was erected 40 years ago and the studding and weatherboards are eaten
away by white ants. The school building is beyond repairing and nothing but a new building will
do". A new school building was opened in 1923.
In 1927, Mr Kieran Brady was appointed Head Teacher and remained in the position for
eleven years. During this period there was a dramatic lift in academic standards, and Council
Meetings became more active, becoming involved with the day-to-day routines and gradually
improving the appearance of the school. Eileen Clarke recalls:
Mr Brady lived in Traralgon and rode his bike to and
from school every day.
He was a firm disciplinarian and expected his students to be gathered at the school gate to greet him when he arrived. A boy would then be entrusted to wheel the bicycle to the shelter shed. Quite often, if the children were enjoying games Mr Brady may not have approved of, one
of the boys would climb a tree to watch for his approach. |
Although, it appeared, Mr Brady was not very enthusiastic about keeping his work program
up to date, he was a keen sportsman and gardener, and took a lot of pride in the school garden.
The Inspector's Report Book gave some glowing reviews:
| The little building is clean and neat. Pupils are fortunate to work in such surroundings, ... pupils do not show any great originality of thought, but they are earnest, careful workers,
.... before school the boys were found busily engaged in the garden ... residents and parents
recognise the value of the training he is giving ... the appearance of the interior is an education in artistic decoration. |
Mr Alan Keating was appointed Head Teacher in 1939. Being male and a keen sportsman,
he fitted in well with the locals. After three years he departed to serve with the AIF in New
Guinea. Four female Head Teachers then led the school until the end of the war.
After the War, normality started to return. Eleven of the school's twenty-three pupils were
repeating a year. There were six Head Teachers in six years, which must have been hard for the
school, and a new District Inspector noted on several occasions the lack of resources and equipment
at the school. This was duly acted upon and for the first time a "sewing mistress" (second
teacher) was employed. In 1951, for the first time since 1939, a permanent Head Teacher was
appointed, and in 1952 the Inspector noted:
Electric power has been connected and wireless and projector are in use ...
improvement has been effected in standards ... pupils now have a more thorough grasp of basic number facts ... progress in arithmetic and reading ranges from good to very good ... incidental teaching
of correct pronunciation. |
The 1960's saw changes in the scope of education offered, and in 1965 the school was
upgraded to a Class 3 school. For the first time a Head Teacher was promoted to the school
rather than appointed to it, and numbers were on a gradual upward trend. But during the l970s,
development plans by the State Electricity Commission were under way and land was purchased
for the Loy Yang project. It was dictated that the school either relocate or close. The local
community was determined to keep their school. The school carried on as normal while enduring
enormous noise and dust as huge earthworks, machinery and equipment surrounded it. Eventually
the SEC agreed to move the school and cover all costs. Centenary celebrations coincided
with the relocation of the school to the current site.
The '80s was a period of change and growth. Funding was granted for a bus service to the
school and numbers of students began to increase, peaking at over 140 students in 1993. FamiIies
seeking a rural lifestyle have shifted to the area and settled for many years, and the School
Council now selects its own Principal. The school has received new portables to accommodate
its growth, and in 1995 it underwent a major refurbishment. It is well resourced, particularly in
the Information Technology department, and continues to be involved in many innovative programs.
The school makes good use of local community based resources, and many of the current
staff have been at the school for more than ten years.
Traralgon South State School Group about 1890
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