The Old School

The Old School Merriwagga

HISTORY Merriwagga Public School was opened on the 7th Sept,1926 in the hall. The above picture is of the first class outside the hall with the first teacher,Mr Gordon Swift. Some of these students still live in the Merriwagga District.There was a second class group with enrolments reaching 80 in 1927. The school in its present location was built in 1927 and opened in 1928 with an enrolment of 80 children. Mr. Harry Bowditch was the new teacher-in-charge. Absentism was high in those days as the older boys were expected to help on the farm. A small ,transportable classroom was added in the 1930's as the children enrolled couldn't fit in the original building. In the late 1930's,22 children were taught in this transportable classroom. Like many country schools, riding a horse,travelling by horse and sulky or walking were the main forms of transport to school. A school bus was introduced on the 20th April,1959 to bring children to school from the outlying farms. This continued until the 27th February, 1976. A second permanent classroom was built in 1959-60. Enrolments peaked again in the 1960's with over 50 students in 1963. The school has see-sawed between 1 and 2 teachers up until 1989 when it reverted to a 1 teacher school. Changes in Enrolments since 1926 (These numbers varied slightly within each decade.) 1920's 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1999 No. of Students 80 65 53 48 56 34 26 9

The Old School

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The Old School Merriwagga

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Monday, August 4, 2008