Cycle/walkway - until the development of the new motorway this path was an overgrown remnant of the Southbridge railway branch line.
Don't go to the posted coords but record the numbers to find the final.
S 43° 33.ABC E 172° 31.DDE
On the old Southbridge Branch (Lincoln to Southbridge was closed in 1962, Prebbleton to Lincoln in 1967). C864 is now in Ferrymead, this photo was taken in 1966 on the way to Lincoln.
History of the School:
The first known school was stared by a Mrs Slater with four pupils on the farm formerly occupied by Mr W.T. Bell. Two of these pupils were James and Mary Prebble- This was in 1857.
1857-1872
Within a few years the school had moved into the first Anglican church building, erected about 1859, and opened by Bishop Harper in July 1862. The land had been donated to the church by Mr J.N. Tosswill, who had taken up a farm in the Prebbleton district. "The establishment of the church school proved a great boon to the early settlers. Had it not been for the school, the majority of the children of those days would have had no opportunity whatever of receiving instruction."
This of course was in the days before 'free' education, and "every child who attended was required to pay a fee of one shilling per week." Based on today's values this represents a considerable sum, especially in the case of large families, and reflects the high value placed on education by our Victorian settler families. This close connection between church and school lasted until the establishment of the national system of 'universal' education in 1872.
1872-1923:
The church building was later sold and removed to Longbeach where it became the parish church, and a new school was built by the Education Department, consisting of one room, accomoda-ting some thirty pupils. This too was soon outgrown and the school expanded in 1876 into what is now known as the Anglican Parish Hail, in William Street. A public library was also added, connecting with the schoolroom through adjoining doors and these two rooms served as the venue for many of the public gatherings of that time.
1923-1982
About 1923 this old school was condemned by the Board and the school transferred to its new site in Blakes Road, with a new school building which, with its high rafted ceilings and tall paned windows, was familiar to generations of school children - and something of a local landmark - until it too was condemned following a fire in 1975.
A reunion, organised by Mrs N. Gainsford in May 1975 to mark the demolition of the 'new' (1923) classroom block, was well attended by local ex-pupils and friends of the school. Another feature of school life, the annual school prizegiving and public concert in the Prebbleton Hall was discontinued about this time, to be superceded by a more informal 'break-up' for children and their parents. However, 'the school trip' has continued apace (though no longer to the North Island) and Pets and Sports Days are as popular as ever.
Changing times; changing needs
In the past decade the last remaining structures and visible links with the past have gone, to be replaced with a neat concourse of light, modern classrooms, and a well-equipped library room which also houses the Prebbleton Public Library, thus maintaining a link with the past.
These new facilities, along with excellent playing fields and the refurbished Public Swimming Pool have made the school a centre for social as well as educational activities, and along with the modernisation of the Public Hall, have gone a long way in ensuring that Prebbleton keeps pace with the changing demands and lifestyle of today's community.
All these tasks, and the inevitable fund-raising involved, have been accomplished by committees drawn mainly from ex-pupils and parents of present pupils, and an active and hard-working P.T.A. The Parent Teacher Association which grew out of the earlier parents group, has grown in strength and influence and is now an important part of the life of the school and the community. As well as an opportunity to socialise and reminisce, the present celebrations afford a valuable opportunity for all to share in some of the history, and pride in achievement of the school and its pupils, over the past one hundred and twenty five years.