Children of the Wilderness

 

 

Lutwyche School

Farming families in the early 1940s in the eastern part of Werai were concerned about how their young school-age children were to be educated.

Being over 10 km from Moss Vale, it was then quite isolated as very few farmers owned motor vehicles and, even if they did, it was war time and petrol was stringently rationed. The only public transport from Werai to Moss Vale was by rail but Werai Railway Station was too far away for very young children to walk.

The farmers of the area contacted the Department of Education and approval was given for a school if a suitable premises could be found.

A school was built by local farmers of bush-cut timber and corrugated iron on land donated by Steve Garbutt on the Moss Vale side of Bundanoon Creek Dam, and in order to get to the Bundanoon Dam Wall you had to pass closely by the school.

As well as the one class room it had living quarters consisting of a small bedroom and kitchen. The corrugated iron toilet buildings contained pan type toilets.

The name Lutwyche was chosen after the creek in the area. The Department of Education supplied desks and other items but teachers were unavailable as it was war time. John Caradice came out of retirement to be the first teacher when the school opened in 1943. He travelled by horse and cart from north of Mittagong to the school on Monday mornings and lived at the school during the week, returning home on Friday evenings. Sometimes his wife would accompany him and stay the week. They later moved to Moss Vale. When the war finished he went back into retirement and there were two subsequent teachers.

Mr Murphy drove a car from Moss Vale each day and Adrian Budden, a very young teacher, boarded with the Mathisons, (Werai milk carrier) and drove a red convertible sports car to the school. He sometimes gave pupils rides in its 'dickie seat'.

The children of the Clough, Mathison, Mumberson, Walker and Crane families were amongst the pupils and the average attendance was about twelve.

All the pupils walked to the school, some quite long distances, always barefoot, carrying their shoes or boots (if they owned any) in their school bags. They often collected wild flowers which the teacher would put in a glass of water.

The school followed the NSW curriculum with all primary school classes being catered for. ABC radio broadcasts were listened to and Moss Vale Library sent out boxes of books for pupils to borrow.

Cold and wet days were spent in the classroom where a huge log fire burned. A garden was also cultivated by the pupils.

The school closed at the end of 1948 due to low attendances and a shortage of teachers. Children were then transported in a small bus where they attended Moss Vale Central School or caught another bus to Bowral High School.

There is no trace of the school building now.

Based on what I have read, Lutwyche School was situated on Lutwyche Creek and Green Hills Road, half a mile (1.5 km) from the then 'proposed' Bundanoon Creek weir. This would make it around the junction of Old Dairy Road and Greenhills Road.

On the Satelite Map above I've drawn up the land holdings (yellow) of Stephen Garbutt. The little pink section of land just above Lutwyche Creek is where I believe the Lutwyche School was located.

The Bundanoon Dam Wall is located directly south-east of the little pink section.