City of Darebin Heritage Study Volume 1 Draft Thematic

VOLUME 2: THEMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORYChurch, National and Common schoolsBefore the establishment of the State school system in 1872, education was provided by localcommunity groups, particularly churches, who gained some government funding towards thebuilding and running of schools. The National Board of Education functioned from 1851 to1862 managing government-funded non-denominational schools, of which 193 were builtthroughout Victoria, while there was a Denominational Board to see to the church-runschools. This was all superseded by the Common Schools Act, 1862, which was designed toimprove the standard of education, and to end sectarian rivalries over competition for funds,thus giving education a secular focus (Victorian Year Book, 1973:477-8). Church ordenominational schools sometimes became National or Common schools if they obtainedGovernment Funding. Some Common schools became State schools after the introduction offree, compulsory and secular education in 1873.Darebin’s earliest school appears to have been the one run by the Wesleyans in the littleschoolhouse in High Street Northcote, opened in 1854. The bluestone building was used forworship and Sunday School, as well as for other community functions, as noted above. It wasthen the only school within a two mile radius. In 1859 the Primitive Methodists began aschool, presumably in their High Street church just down the road from the Wesleyan School.The teachers were John and Hannah Dunkerly, who had run a private school in Manchester.The church was running this school without any government assistance because they did notrealise they were eligible until the All Saints Church in Westgarth applied for funding to start aschool. The Denominational Schools Board Inspector assessed the situation and the number ofchildren in the district, and decided that there were not sufficient children for three schools.He refused the application from the Primitive Methodists in favour of the Church of England.Lemon suggests that there may have been a hint of sectarianism in this decision. TheDunkerleys then applied, unsuccessfully, to the National Schools Board for funding, sayingthat they were no longer connected with the church and would give the children an‘unsectarian education’ (Lemon, 1983:45-6, 50-2).In 1863 Richard Tobin took over the Wesleyan school, and remained to run the newNorthcote State School, when it opened in 1874. Both the Wesleyan and Anglican schoolsclosed at that time.The Preston Wesleyans also had a school at their church site on the corner of High and TylerStreets in the 1860s, as did the Anglicans at All Saints, but it is not known when theycommenced. In 1864 residents at Preston South, then known as Gowerville, applied forfunding for a Common school. Land was donated, and funds raised to attract the pound forpound government subsidy. In 1865 the Gowerville School opened in a small wooden buildingon the south-east corner of Raglan and Albert Streets. This became Gowerville State Schoolunder the Education Act 1872, and was later rebuilt in Hotham Street in 1878. It was renamedSouth Preston State School in 1902 (Carroll, 1985:39-41).Private schoolsBefore the introduction of State education it was common for families or individuals, especiallywomen, to run small private enterprise schools. These proliferated in built-up areas such asPrahran, but only a few have been noted in early Darebin’s scattered communities. PrestonGrammar School was established in 1869 by Eugene Rodda in a large house in High StreetNorth Preston. Its patrons included the Gardiner family of Bundoora Park, but the school wasforced to close in 1891 (Lemon, 1983:98). As Darebin’s population began to increase in theboom years several more opened, including that of Miss Fraser, daughter of Rev. Fraser, whotaught eight students in the manse. In 1896, daughters of the vicar of All Saints Prestonopened the Preparatory High School (Lemon, 1983:98; Forster, 1968:60).The Misses Westgarth ran a ‘High School’ for young ladies in Clifton Hill, which they namedWestleigh College after they expanded into Northcote. The school was accommodated in twolarge houses, one at 212 Clarke Street and the other, Leura in Bayview Street. In 1912,Westleigh College had an enrolment of 106 primary and secondary students. By then the107