A Century of Education

The history below comes from a highly abridged version of a small booklet written and published in 1961: compiled by “a group of teachers working in association with a Public Committee formed to organise the celebration of the Centenary of Public Education in Ballina.”

It covers the period from 1861 – twenty years after the cedar-getters settled on the banks of the Richmond River in Ballina, one teacher and 45 students – to 1961 when the town was a thriving metropolis with a growing population, with 47 teachers and over 1000 students.

ballina school history

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRST SCHOOL

Public education in Ballina began with the establishment of the Board of National Education in 1848 to administer schools conducted according to Lord Stanley’s National System of Education. Under this scheme the board usually supplied two thirds of the cost of building a new school and the remaining third was to be “found” or guaranteed by a board or committee of local patrons of education who had other responsibilities as well when the school became a going concern. One of its duties was to fix the fees to be paid by parents to augment the rather small salaries paid to the teachers of those days. One teacher in receipt of the princely sum of £72 per annum is quoted as having paid out half his salary to one store- keeper alone and to have found difficulty in meeting his other debts.

A school was considered necessary in West Ballina during the late fifties and, by February 1861, a committee of local patrons of education had been formed. Messrs. Henry Garrard, Charles Fawcett, Joseph Eyles, James Brown and James Campbell comprised this committee. The committee applied for a non-vested school to be established in a building offered by Mr. Eyles at a rent of five shillings per annum. The building was two storeyed, with two rooms upstairs and three on the lower floor. One, 20ft. by 12ft., was to be used for the school room while the remainder were for the use of the teacher as a residence. Mr. Eyles also offered to convey the “Master, his wife, family and luggage in one of my ships free of expense”. Meanwhile a tender had been accepted from Mr. J. Mitchell to erect a school building.

By June 1861, a number of problems had arisen that had slowed down the work. Although two pairs of sawyers had felled nearly twenty trees for timber they were compelled to desist in consequence of the inferiority of the timber. The sequel was that no sawyer in the district could be prevailed upon to try any other kind of timber in the locality. One wonders whether the timber was declared “black” or whether other factors were involved, Then the rainy season set in and no outdoor work could be carried out. Even after Mr. Eyles had advanced about £70 to the contractor it was found almost impossible to persuade a carpenter to come to the Richmond River from Sydney or anywhere else, because of the gold rush to the Kiandra diggings.

At this stage about 77 children were expected to attend the school-to-be, but, on its opening in the temporary quarters offered by Mr. Eyles, only 45 were enrolled. “The long detention of vessels from various causes and the constant succession of wrecks causing the inhabitants to become impoverished” (as the stranded crews lived off them), may have had quite a bearing on this discrepancy.

By November 1861, after some £200—including £100 from Mr. Eyles’ private funds—had been spent and some disagreement over the site of the new school had evidently been over ridden, the building was in progress. It was not completed, however, until July 1863 for a total cost of only £450—and that in spite of the rain, long delay and Mr. Clement. This gentleman had evidently taken over the contract from Mitchell, and seemed to enjoy his leisure not wisely but too well. He also apparently interpreted specifications quite independently of the written word, as Mr. McIntyre who was the district inspector of the time mentions several discrepancies.

The first teacher, Mr. G.T. Kemp, arrived before the temporary building was in order but he commenced duties eventually in August 1861 with an enrolment of 45 and an average attendance of 38. When the school moved into the new building in 1863 the enrolment had fallen to 39 and the average attendance to 30. While these figures were quite high under the conditions then ruling (many children were kept at home to do their share in helping establish new farms or simply to do housework), nevertheless they were a source of hardship to the teacher of the time as his salary was reduced by one third when the average attendance fell below thirty. He therefore lost not only the fees of those who did not attend but also £24 of his salary of £72. Gradings were very important and teachers were expected to have their schools at a very high standard for the annual inspections when all promotions were made by the district inspectors whose reports carried a vast amount of weight.

THE EARLY YEARS

In 1865 Mr. Kemp resigned to travel to England on family business. His successor was Mr. Thomas Russell who paid £4 in fares to reach Ballina from Sydney.

Thomas Russell

1865 saw the replacement of the Board of Local Patrons of Education by a Local Public School Board. The chairman was John Sharpe, the secretary Edmund Ross and the members Charles Fawcett (the postmaster), Thomas Trimble, Charles Jarrett (who sent five of his children to the school and paid the fees of ten more) and Captain George Easton the pilot who also sent five children to school. These came from the other side of the river. He supplied the boat and also conveyed other children. Some £70 was spent on repairs that year and the efforts of Mr. Jarrett seem to have raised that sum for the school.

A fire threatened the school in 1868 but very little damage was done to anything other than the fence. There was probably quite a deal of excitement and hope in the hearts of the children attending at the time.

In 1889 the district inspector, Mr. Jones, reported on the residence and its poor condition. It was a cedar weatherboard building of three rooms roofed with pine shingles and with a floor of ash. The sitting room and bedroom which were plastered, each measured 14ft. x 12ft. x 12ft. and the kitchen which was roofed with galvanised iron measured 12ft. x 12ft. x 12ft. The water supply was bad and the building needed “painting without and colouring within”. White ants had ruined the roof (and what else?). Repairs were estimated to cost £110. The school roof was considered dangerous and whenever it rained the children were sent home. The repairs were completed by Mr. Clement (who had succeeded Mr. Trimble on the School Board) by September of that year.  

The period between 1872 and 1874 was an unfortunate time for the schoolmaster, Mr. Russell. There had been a drought and his family had been very ill through drinking the “bad” water. One child had died and his wife had taken the others to Sydney for medical treatment. Also he had had a disagreement with his inspector and was very ill himself. A letter written by the Board in 1874 which recommended that Mr. Russell be allowed to leave Ballina to give him a chance to recover was delayed because the writer had to attend a shipwreck at Brunswick Heads.

THE NEW BUILDING 

By 1875, attendance at the school had improved to an average of 41 but there was great dissatisfaction about the school amenities and its general condition. The children at this time had to carry their own supply of drinking water. A threat by the parents to keep their children home in the dry summer months resulted in the supplying of new tanks. The building was considered old and the site unsuitable as it was said to be unhealthy, inaccessible and wet. Feeling ran very high in the town on the question of the best site for the new building that was planned to replace the one that was “being blown away as dust by the wind”. This was apparently the result of white ant infestation. The floor “warped beneath one’s tread”, smoke from the kitchen filtered into the schoolroom from the back of the fire place, the shingles (now of bloodwood), were too heavy for the state of the building and threatened to collapse upon the children.

Ballina Public School opened 1881

The Ballinese, as they called themselves then, were sharply divided on the question of where to place the new building and many letters were written to the council putting the various cases and, incidentally, accusing others of wishing to further their own ends rather than regarding the general welfare.

The years between 1875 and 1882 when the new building was completed showed a steady growth in the population and importance of Ballina.

The new building had cost about £2,000. It was roomy enough to accommodate 165 children by the standards of the day. This building is still used by classes at the present time (1961). Enrolment had doubled since 1875, mainly as a result of the Education Act of 1880 which made education free and compulsory. The main school room was made longer than the stock model, a small room was attached to it and a proper hat room was substituted for the usual porch. The residence had an extra room attached. The existing site was retained in spite of the accusations of inaccessibility and permanent swamps. The old building was sold for £31 at auction but evidently was not removed for some time. The enrolment was now more than 80.

Early in 1880 Mr. Russell came into a large sum of money and in consequence of his independent means refused to conform to a new regulation passed by the recently established Department of Public Instruction and implemented in 1883. He resigned to live in “a commodious house only thirty yards away from the school” as he was “worth at least £10,000”. Mr. Charles Smythe from Swan Creek took his place in May. Soon there were demands for additional room in the school as the enrolment had by now risen to 130 with the likelihood of increasing further. By the end of the year Smythe had one or possibly two pupil-teachers to assist him.

A pupil-teacher was usually a scholar who had completed his primary education and passed an entrance examination of a standard set by the Council of Education. He would be about fifteen years of age and would immediately set to work teaching a group of the junior pupils during the normal schools hours. Lessons would be prepared in advance for the week and would be given according to the instructions of the Master who would coach the pupil-teacher in the academic subjects and in teaching practice out of school hours. Usually Saturday mornings and a set time after school were chosen for this work. After four years as a pupil-teacher the student had a chance of taking a short course in Teaching Practices in order to be classified as a teacher. Masters who were recognised as “good teachers” attracted pupils and pupil-teachers. William and John, two of Mr. Russell’s sons, later became pupil-teachers at Ballina Public School at different times. Altogether, four generations of the Russell family have taught at Ballina—a record that must have been rarely equalled.

THE SCHOOL DEVELOPS

In 1887 the school was again repaired and painted by a Mr. Pospichal. Mr. Connolly became the teacher in December when the average attendance was 140 and the total enrolment many more. The District School Board which had replaced the Local School Board applied for a qualified assistant teacher to be appointed and also for a separate infants’ classroom to be erected. Miss Anne Fraser was appointed and arrived after travelling by steamer to the Clarence River, thence by coach to Woodburn and finally by steamer to Ballina in January 1888.  Both Mr. Connolly and Miss Fraser seem to have been very efficient teachers and the standards of the school appear to have improved greatly much to the pleasure of the parents, although perhaps not to the children as Mr. Connolly was a stern disciplinarian. The “Melbourne” game of football was played at Ballina in these days, having been introduced by Mr. Connolly. Mr. Ewan MacKinnon, who was chairman of the District School Board, seems to have been a very keen and zealous worker for the good of the schools under his control. He asked for and obtained a set of aids for the school after having seen a set in Lismore School. He also managed to have the curator of the Botanic Gardens in Sydney supply the school with three dozen trees and shrubs.

The new school room for the infants was completed (of timber) in March 1889, and, in August, an Evening Public School which some fifteen young men of an age between 17 and 26 promised to attend was officially given a three months’ trial. Evidently some of these young men must have been attending unofficially for some time previously for we hear that in 1889 Ballina headed the list against every scholastic institution represented at the Junior Examination (either of N.S.W. or Queensland), and was the only public school nominating a candidate who obtained seven A’s. The school’s first bursar was E.R. Rothwell who gained second place in a field of 2,000. Later, at Sydney University, he won two university medals— one for Mathematics, the other for History.

During the four years prior to 1890 the school population had grown to 240 pupils. As a result Mr. MacKinnon asked for another room and additional desks and forms. When the new room had been built the Inspector recommended the establishment of an Infants’ Department under the charge of Miss Fraser. This was refused even though the enrolment had reached 271.

After Mr. Connolly had applied for a transfer and had moved to Grafton, Mr. Donald Fraser became Headmaster of the school July 1891. Arbor Day was observed in N.S.W. that year for the first time and the residents of Ballina contributed £9/10/- towards the cost of trees and preparation of the grounds.

There were some staff changes in the year 1891, as William Russell followed Mr. Connolly to Grafton. William’s brother John was appointed pupil-teacher in his place. Miss Barbara Hunter was appointed pupil-teacher to assist Miss Fraser and later in the year a Miss O’Keefe was appointed in charge of the Infants’ Department. She later married Thomas Russell, son of the editor of the ‘Richmond River Times’ and continued as Mistress-in-charge of the Infants’ Department for many years after her marriage. According to some reports Russell House at the High School was named after her, although others declare it was named after Thomas Russell Snr. Early in 1892 an additional pupil-teacher was attached to the Infants’ Department and the Kindergarten System was established. Mr. Ewan MacKinnon had seen it in action in Armidale and asked that the necessary material be supplied. It was. The staff now consisted of the Headmaster, Mr. Fraser, (“Jimmy Pannican of ‘The Bulletin’ “), Miss O’Keefe, Miss Fraser and four pupil-teachers.

FURTHER SCHOOL BUILDING

Increasing enrolments at the school in 1892, despite the opening of Ballina Convent School in that year, made an additional class-room necessary. This was completed in 1893 and at the same time venetian blinds were supplied to the infants’ room and the yard levelled off. Mr. Fraser applied for improvements to be made to the residence, notably for a bathroom, “as the public baths in Ballina have been abandoned as unsafe”. Quite extensive alterations were made to the residence as a result of this request, these being completed in 1895. The school was made a Superior Public School in that year and provided post-primary education officially for the older students. Judging by Mr. Fraser’s teaching hours, some post primary education must have been given to at least a few chosen students, as he is quoted as having taught, in addition to the usual required time, “every Saturday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.”

Miss I.L. MacKinnon, daughter of the chairman of the District School Board, was appointed in 1895 as a pupil-teacher. As Miss MacKinnon, and later as Mrs. Jolly, she was Infants’ Mistress from 1920 to 1927 and from 1937 to 1944. In all, she taught for 58 years. She still lives in Ballina.  During 1896 Mr. George Dart took charge of the school, but a case of typhoid fever in his family seems to have sparked a panic in the township. There was talk of a meeting to decide upon with-drawing the children from the school en masse. The local council was accused of trying to force the expense of reclaiming the swamp lands around the school upon the government. Eventually some stagnant waterholes were filled in and the council built a path of oyster shells to the school. In 1957 two aboriginal axe heads were dug up in the playground. Apparently they had been brought over with the oyster shells which may have been dug from a midden. In 1898 the underground tank was filled in and the school fences attended to.

As Ballina was fast becoming a dairying district, more and more parents wanted their children home earlier than the official 4 p.m. to “get the cows in, milk and do other odd jobs”. An application to change the school hours in the afternoon from 2 p.m. till 4 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. till 3.30 p.m. in line with all the other schools of the district was granted in the year 1900.

THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY

At the turn of the century Ballina was fifty eight years old. It had become the major settlement of the lower Richmond. About 300 local children were being educated at the public school, work was progressing on the breakwaters, steamships had begun to vie with sail power on the river and three separate river boat companies were competing for local trade.

Ballina Public School 1905
Ballina Public School 1905

Some improvements to the school were carried out while Mr. McCoy was Headmaster (1901-03). During this time, incidentally, Mr. Barlow built Ballina’s first horseless carriage. The residence was roofed with galvanised iron in place of the old worn and leaking tiles (shingles?) and improvements were made to the drainage of the grounds. The then Minister of Education, Mr. Perry, who was also the local member of parliament, expedited the re-location of the fences which had been found to be out of alignment and also the connection of school to the local water mains in November 1903, the same year that the town water supply had been established. Some parents at this time objected to Fifth Class girls having to do “excessive brain work in the study of home lessons” (in Algebra and Latin) as these subjects “unsettle their minds for housework and housekeeping”. Fifth Class then was of a considerably higher age group than that of the present Fifth Class. Apparently, competitive sport was not neglected in these days. A shield, which was won by Ballina at that time for marching drill and foot races, was unearthed in 1959.

In May 1908 Mr. Squire travelled to Ballina in the “S.S. St. George” which broke down off the Richmond River and drifted on to the bar. The goods and passengers were all landed and Mr. Squire was refunded the extra charge. (£4) for unloading his furniture. The enrolment was now 339 and there were six teachers on the combined staffs. Later a new pupil-teacher was appointed to the primary staff. This was Mr. C. Schaeffer who still lives in Ballina.

He taught a Third Class of 70 pupils in a room now used for only 30 to 35 pupils.

Even in these early days country children travelled to Ballina from surrounding towns. Davis Bros. and Burgess, steamboat proprietors, asked in 1907 for a conveyance subsidy for pupils carried on the daily steamer service between Woodburn and Ballina.

In 1909, when the boat fare from Sydney to Ballina was £2/12/6, Mr. Harvey was appointed Headmaster, but he refused to live in the residence or to bring his family there until the house was extensively renovated. He was paid £1 per week hotel expenses but was soon replaced by a Mr. Morgan who reported in April 1910 that the demand to have the low lying portions of the playground filled “was engineered by certain members of the Parents’ and Citizens’ Association who were also aldermen”. This is the first mention of a P. & C. in connection with this school, although doubtless there had been some organised support of the school under other names.

Ballina Public School 1916
Ballina Public School 1916

Owing to the increased numbers, Clegg’s Store was rented at £2 per week as temporary school rooms. It proved unsuitable in many ways as there was a bootmaker on one side, a restaurant on the other, the main street in front and an “unpleasant lane” at the rear. So unsavoury was the situation that many parents refused to send their little ones to the Infants’ School while it was held in these premises. At this time the Department of Public Works had moved its resident engineer, leaving his residence vacant. The Infants’ Department took possession of the “large roomy house set in fine grounds” after arrangements had been made to allow its use rent free. Canvas blinds were installed on the verandahs as a protection from sun and rain and, in October 1911, 94 Infants’ pupils were accommodated there.

There were still 232 children left in the Primary Department and only after the galleries were removed from the old Infants’ room was the crush lessened, at least temporarily. Desks and furniture for a class of 58 were supplied at this time and used for the second class (of 58 children) which occupied the old Infants’ building.

From the turn of the century until the end of the First World War, there seems to have been little increase in the population of the town and, consequently, little development in the school.

By 1913 part of a new school (four rooms only) was erected and used by the Infants’ Department, except for one room which was used by a primary class. The fact that the bricks in the old building were falling out, one on to the Headmaster’s head, accelerated some much needed repairs even though the inspector writes that the roof was in such a state of decay that heavy rain poured through.

The old Infants’ building, though condemned for use as a school room, was retained on the school block for use in Manual Training and Science teaching when the need arose in the expected near future. The Ballina School of Arts committee made attempts to acquire the building at the time but, because of the above intentions, was refused the use of it.

fenwick house
Fenwick House

In February 1919 the Town Clerk of Ballina applied for a High School to be established at Ballina. He quoted the advantages that were offering mentioning “the healthy climate, the nearness to the seaside, the school’s scholastic record and the fact that four or five Departmental inspectors had graduated through Ballina school.”

In 1918 Fenwick House at Shaw’s Bay was purchased by a trust, comprising forty professional and commercial men of the town, representing the evangelical churches. The trust established in the building a private boys’ school known as the North Coast College.

At the Public School, in July 1918, improvements were made to the residence and the school buildings were renovated. They are still in use, together with the four rooms added to the main building in 1919. One extra wooden building was added to the group in 1950.

AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR

At the end of World War I, it appears that secondary education in Ballina was really in the doldrums. Mrs. Russell, then Infants’ Mistress, wrote about the failure of children to remain at school after gaining the Qualifying Certificate at the end of Sixth Class because no provision was made for them. She suggested the formation of an Intermediate Certificate class. There was a Seventh Class but it was badly patronised, the enrolment in August being only four. In January, 1919, a Mr. J. Johnston asked for a transport subsidy so that his children could go to Lismore for their secondary education. The question of subsidised transport for secondary pupils to Lismore was then considered, but it was decided that the distance was too great and that the travel would be too tiring for the children. It is interesting to note that in the criticism of the Seventh Class work at Ballina it was pointed out that the smaller schools at Casino and Tenterfield had healthy Seventh classes, and a request from Mr. Perry M.L.A., in 1919, for Languages and Science to be taught at Ballina was refused. The Chief Inspector commented, “This is really a request to make Ballina a District School. There is a District School, soon to be made a High School, twenty miles away at Lismore. If Ballina is made a District School then Casino would have to be considered too. Murwillumbah also has similar claims.” The establishment of High Schools in Casino and Murwillumbah long before that of one in Ballina indicates the slow rate of progress of this town in relation to those centres in the last forty years.

Mr. Adams, a university graduate, was appointed Headmaster in June, 1919. His proposal to introduce languages was accepted and, in the next year, it appears that satisfactory Seventh and Eighth Classes were functioning and following a High School syllabus with the intention of reaching the Intermediate Certificate.

It was in the “twenties”, motor traffic was taking over from the river and railways were being developed to other centres. According to reports the population increased but this was mainly due to the influx of older people, retiring to Ballina. School progress was slow.  

In 1923 the school was classified officially as a district school. There was a secondary enrolment of 95 pupils and a staff of four employed in secondary work. The change in classification did not solve the existing problems. Official records during the next few years report lack of accommodation, acute shortage of textbooks and insufficiently large language classes.

The school was again re-classified in 1926 and became an Intermediate High School, Secondary Enrolment in June was 111. There were two first year classes, one second and one third year. Many local residents will no doubt remember the then existing conditions described in an inspector’s report thus: “Unfortunately, insufficient accommodation is a serious drawback. Only two ordinary classrooms and the science room are available for four High School classes and two classes have constantly to occupy one room in which two teachers have frequently to give oral lessons with a space of only three or four yards separating them while the Science Room has to be used for general work. In order not to interfere with each other the teachers have habituated themselves to speaking in subdued tones. Nevertheless one additional room at the very least, is an urgent necessity.” It was perhaps fortunate that the enrolment hardly increased in the next five years, because it appears that no further accommodation was provided, although in 1929 reference was made to the teaching of needlework in a recess in an upstairs corridor and to the teaching of cooking in “a Sunday School hall which is some distance from the school and is most unsuitable”. Reference to later files indicates that the hall referred to was the Presbyterian Hall and its use was discontinued soon after because “it was found to be too hot”.

LAND REQUIRED FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL

Ballina Public School
Looking up Martin Street from the Post Office Tower in 1921.
The Public School can be seen quite isolated on the left.

Between 1924 and 1928 negotiations were conducted by the Department of Education to acquire for educational development, the 5 acres of land on which the present High School stands. This area was then being used as saleyards. The council was prepared to co-operate, but the Lands Department suggested that the Cherry Street frontage should be withheld and the remaining 34 acres would be sufficient for school purposes. Official and local pressure finally forced the Lands Department to set aside the whole area for school purposes. When the recent and proposed building extensions are considered, it is indeed fortunate that this decision was reached.

The present brick High School building was built in the early years of the depression by a Sydney contractor, H. Brown, and a team of men was brought from Sydney. Most of the bricks were made in the old brick works at the foot of the Ballina Cutting, but some of the face bricks were made in Sydney. The filling of the area was a major job; 4,000 yards of filling were supplied by present Ballina contractor, “Nugget” Saunders. In the early stages the filling had to be carried by horse and dray.

Classes commenced in the new building in July, 1931. What a wonderful place it must have seemed to pupils and teachers after the accommodation problems of the previous decade! There were six classrooms, a science room and assembly hall, but only five classes. For the first time there was a fourth year class and it contained 12 pupils. No provision was made on the new site for teaching manual arts and home economics. Classes in these subjects still had to travel to the old site. This remained the case in Home Economics until 1955 and in Manual Arts until the new block was available in 1959. The new school opened with 124 pupils, but in spite of the establishment of a fifth-year class in 1932, there was no significant increase in enrolments for the next ten years. To some extent this may have been due to a diminishing in the influx of country pupils owing to a reduction in the conveyance subsidy.

After 10 years of stagnation, as far as town population and school enrolments were concerned, the town and school nearly suffered a grave setback. In 1941, it was suggested officially that all pupils desiring Latin and all fourth and fifth year pupils should be conveyed by bus to Lismore daily, and that Ballina be recognised as a school of a different type. Apparently nothing came of this suggestion. Within two years the enrolment had climbed to 172, Latin classes were reintroduced, and a proposal to convert the original school building, standing in the primary school grounds, to a complete boys’ technical unit was brought forward. It is interesting to note that there were still spare rooms in both schools at this time.

By 1945, the enrolment was approaching 200, and official reports suggested that the school had now reached its maximum enrolment, but it was desirable to provide further buildings to enable home science and technical units to be situated in the High School grounds. The staff now numbered 11. In spite of official forecasts, there was a gradual growth in numbers until 1952, when the enrolment was 294 and the staff 16. The two new classrooms near the tennis court were added at this time.

For the next few years there was a small but steady decline in the number of pupils and teachers, possibly owing to the diversion of the Bangalow and Byron Bay groups to Mullumbimby School. The reason given for this was that these pupils should use the departmental trains rather than be paid subsidy on private buses. Some Ballina children attended Lismore High School.

The creation of full high schools in Kyogle and Mullumbimby in 1955 and the omission of Ballina resulted in strong representations being made by the Council and public bodies for a change in status of this school. The change was made in the following year, when the primary and secondary departments became two separate schools, the Ballina Public School and the Ballina High School.

Mr. S.W.G. Ellyard, B.Sc. (Econ.), B-Ed., was transferred from Tweed Heads as Headmaster of the Primary School, and Mr. A.R. Hughes, B.Sc., Dip. Ed. came from Inverell as first Headmaster of the High School, which opened in 1956 with a staff of 17 teachers and 271 pupils.

Present Day Education

As may be seen from the foregoing notes, the school population in the North Coast administrative area was growing rapidly. As a consequence it became evident that a further Inspectorial District was necessary. Ballina was chosen as the residential centre and in 1955, Mr. I.H. Crago, B.A., B.Ec., was appointed as the first Inspector in the new district. He was followed in 1959 by Mr. G.W. Falkenmire, B.A., M.Ed., who is still stationed at Ballina. Although in the past, many ex-Headmasters of Ballina Public School have become Inspectors elsewhere in the State, nearly 100 years had to pass before an Inspector could be stationed actively in the town.

HIGH SCHOOL

There has been a rapid increase in enrolments since 1956, the present figure being about 530. This increase is due to a number of factors; the very great increase in the number of pupils staying at school for the Leaving Certificate; the return of pupils from Lismore High School; the re-direction of pupils from Broadwater, Woodburn and Evans Head, which were originally associated with Ballina, and the re-enrolment of many children from Bangalow and Byron . 

The increase in enrolments has again introduced accommodation difficulties, but the Education Department is making every effort to overcome them. In the last six years two large blocks have been added to the High School buildings. One contains two Home Science kitchens, a Needlework room, classroom, fitting rooms, change rooms, laundry and offices. The other, opened in July 1959 by the present Premier and the then Minister of Education, Mr. Heffron, has, on the upper floor, metalwork, woodwork, technical drawing and craft rooms and on the lower floor, shelter areas, change and shower rooms and a food preparation room. A further block containing a library, 3 classrooms, two group study rooms, an administrative block, storerooms, wash rooms and toilets has been approved for some time and should be commenced soon. Such is the growth of the school that the completion of this further block will not solve the accommodation problems. Three classes are at present housed in rooms at the Masonic Hall and it is likely that there will be a further two classes at the school in 1962.

The school is still without an assembly hall. This is an urgent need in a town which lacks an adequate public hall.

The High School is now able to provide a complete range of courses for pupils of all abilities. Full recognition is given to the fact that only a small percentage of these children will proceed to any form of Tertiary Education, and the organisation provides ample activities for the spiritual, social, cultural, moral and physical development of the future citizen. Outstanding success has come to pupils in academic musical, choral and sporting fields. In 1960 a Secretarial Course for Post Intermediate pupils was added to the High School’s curricula. This course, embracing a year’s study in English, Mathematics, Business Principles, Shorthand and Typing for pupils with Intermediate Certificates, provided in its first year, about thirty trained pupils (mainly girls) whose services were quickly availed of by district employers.

In the last few years the High School has developed as a centre for community activities outside school hours. Technical College classes in dressmaking, millinery, shorthand and typing, homecraft- woodwork and children’s art are conducted regularly. Arts Council activities were introduced to Ballina by the School. The Ballina Players produced their first show in the High School Assembly Hall. The Ballina Choral Society, Historical Society and the Junior Farmers’ Club were formed in and still use the Hall for meetings. It is a centre of National Fitness activities.

Records indicate that a P. & C. Association was associated with the original school in 1910. This association was disbanded in 1955 when the two separate schools (High and Primary) were officially approved.

Early in 1956, at a public meeting, a separate High School Association was formed, with Mr. N. Yum as President, and Mr. F. Hodges as Secretary. These officers who had served the original association, are still in office (1961).

In the five years of its existence this strong association, with the backing of an interested community has raised some thousands of pounds which have ensured first class facilities and equipment are available to pupils.

What of the future for the High School? The proposed change in the system of Secondary Education should not adversely affect the present development, and for many years Ballina High School should be the training ground for about 70 per cent. of the youth of the coastal strip from Evans Head to Byron Bay.

Ballina Public School
Ballina Public School

PUBLIC SCHOOL

The present enrolment at Ballina Public School is 470, including 187 pupils in the Infants’ Department and 283 in the Primary Department. The staff now numbers 14 teachers and two other employees. There is again a grave shortage of accommodation, but the position will be eased considerably in the next few years, with the building of a new Infants’ School on the land at present occupied by the Municipal Library.

Accommodation will be available in the school for housing the excellent library which has been built up in the last few years. As well, much needed craft and needlework rooms will be free for use. The near original 1880 building will become a small assembly room, a most necessary adjunct to school life and activities in a climate such as Ballina’s.

When, in 1956, the Ballina High School was established, and Ballina Public School became a separate entity, it was decided to form a P. and C. Association to foster the Public School. A public meeting, presided over by the Mayor, Ald. R. O’Neill was arranged by Mr. Ellyard and was attended by many interested townspeople and parents. An Association was formed with Mr. F. Venn as first President, Mr. N. Yum as Secretary and Mrs. E. Shea as treasurer. The young Association during its short life, has quickly established itself as an integral part of the educational community. Visitors and teachers coming to the School are impressed by the quantity of articles provided. For instance, some £700 has been spent on the library; each classroom has been provided with a radio set, many good quality prints adorn the walls. A tape recorder, sewing machine, typewriter and projector have been provided.

In 1959 the Public School was again renovated and painted. The 1880 building was refloored and now serves as rooms for Kindergarten and Third Class. Different colour schemes throughout the school rejuvenate the more time worn parts of it.

The School is well represented in community activities. Each year, the pupils are encouraged to raise funds, by their own effort and sacrifice, for those less fortunate than themselves. After their campaign in March this year, £110 was distributed among their recognised charities. The Recorder Group, well known throughout the district, takes its place with other bands in the Anzac Day March. During the visit of the State Governor, Sir Eric Woodward, in 1959, the Recorder Band provided much of the welcoming music.

Ballina High School
Ballina High School 1961. The original brick block at right,
new Home Economics section lower left
and Manual Arts unit at top right.

Though, strictly speaking, outside the province of a chronicle of public education in Ballina, mention should be made of the town’s third school, St. Francis Xavier’s Convent. Situated in the block between the High and Primary Schools, a sizeable minority of the town’s children is educated by a staff of eight Sisters of the Presentation Order. Here 248 children, comprising 16 infants, 176 primary and 56 secondary children are at present following courses of study leading eventually to the Intermediate Certificate. The Convent School also provides boarding facilities for girl pupils who are unable to travel to and from their homes each day.

ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE

The development of the School and its dependence on local economic conditions over the last hundred years has been outlined, but the contribution of the present Schools to the Town’s economy cannot be underestimated. The High School’s Staff consists of 33 teachers and 6 other employees and the annual payroll is approximately £58,000. In addition, salaries paid to the Primary staff amount to £21,500, making a total of nearly £80,000 and the major portion of this amount is spent in Ballina. In the first term of 1961, about 400 pupils travelled to School by buses, for which the Government paid a sum approaching £3,000 in subsidy to local operators. These pupils and their families make a very real contribution to the business life of the community.

This then, is the picture of the growth of public education with the growth of Ballina. In one hundred years a one-roomed school built of rough-hewn slabs in the middle of a swamp, has developed into a system of Infants’, Primary and Secondary schools set in pleasant garden surroundings. The place of one teacher with his 45 pupils is taken by 47 teachers providing a much wider range of education for 1,000 pupils. This is a reflection of the growth of Ballina from an isolated outpost collection of huts forming the supply base for pioneer cedar-getters, to the thriving tourist and primary producing centre supporting a population of 4,000 that it is today.

HEADMASTERS

Ballina High School

BALLINA SCHOOL

G.T. Kemp – 1861
T. Russell –  1867
C. Smythe –  1883
P. Connolly –  1887
D. Fraser –  1891
G. Dart –  1896
A. McCoy –  1901
J. Telfer –  1903
H. Squire –  1904
W. Harvey –  1909
J. Morgan –  1910
W. Easton –  1916
J. McEwan –  1918
A. Askham –  1919
F. R. Baxter –  1924
E. Griffiths –  1925
D. Drake –  1928
C. Best –  1929
C. Hargreaves –  1944
A.T. Williams –  1948

BALLINA HIGH SCHOOL
A.R. Hughes –  1956.

BALLINA PUBLIC SCHOOL
S.W. Ellyard –  1956.

Source: this booklet was found in a private collection and the full unabridged version can be downloaded here.