School Series - Wharparilla West Primary School Traditional Cache
School Series - Wharparilla West Primary School
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Another in the school series.
Wharparilla West No 1537 (formerly Torrumbarry East)
Classes began early in 1875 with 1st teacher Mr Isaac Metcalf.
Lessons were taught in the local Bible Christian Church, while arrangements were being made for a new school to be constructed.
However, there was a lengthy delay before the building commenced.
WHARPARILLA WEST SCHOOL HISTORY 1919 - 1923
There were 28 children on the roll at Wharparilla West School in 1916, when Gerald McLeod was the Head Teacher. That year, Conveyancing Allowance was sought for James Eric Braund, who lived 6 miles from the school. In August, 1919, Mr McLeod wrote to the Education Department that Feed [was] becoming very scarce and the parents [complained] that the feeding of the necessary horses [was] now a hardship. Families were seeking payment of Conveyancing Allowance. On 1 March, 1920, Alf Kirchhofer, the Correspondent for the School Committee reported to the Education Department that a new shelter shed was required. The roof of the existing shed was half-covered with old shingles, and the walls were beyond repair. Funding was sought but the Department advised that no funds were available. The next Head Teacher was Miss Margaret Billyeald, and she resided in the school residence with her mother. She wrote to the Education Department in May, 1921, to say that local finance had been raised so that the building of the new shelter shed could begin. The work was completed by August and the old shelter shed was to be used as a wood shed. In November, 1921, Mr John Allan, MLA, was asked to help expedite repairs that were still needed at the school and the teacher’s residence, but the Education Department could only advise that the work would be done as soon as funds became available. In February, 1922, Miss Billyeald reported that white-ants were damaging the floor of the residence. Fortunately, some of the more urgent repairs to the school buildings were carried out in May that year. In December, 1922, and again in February, 1923, Miss Billyeald asked that another bedroom or a sleepout be added to the teacher’s residence. In May, 1923, she reported that the roof at the residence was leaking. In June that year, the School Committee again approached Mr Allan, MLA, complaining of the long delay in having repairs carried out and asking his support in expediting the work. At last, during the next summer school holidays, repair work was begun and it was expected that it would be completed before school resumed. It was not. Miss Billyeald wrote to the Education Department to express her disappointment, but also to voice her disgust. The workers had used the school facilities and left them in a dirty condition. Furthermore, she was finding it difficult to teach due to the noise the men made as they continued with their work. The contractor was asked to make good any damage and to restore all school property to good order.
The school now appears to be on private property.
The Cache:
A small cache, please BYO pen.
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