Shenanigans of a country school teacher

Alford Forest School

Thomas McRae, during the early 1870’s, was a manager of Winterslow Sheep Station and is said to have had a great interest in the process of learning. 

He was determined that the youth of Alford Forest and Springburn districts should not go without an education.  Initiated by Thomas, the first gathering of residents to discuss education in the district was held in the Winterslow Station woolshed during 1875. 

Because of his activity and motivation, he was unanimously elected as chairman of the group and a committee, comprising of men of more action than words was elected by the local residents.  Among them; - Messrs Morgan, Boulton, Keller, Rowe, Duncan and of course, Thomas McRae.

Guided by Mr McKnight, Minister of Education at the time, this committee passed the following resolution:-

“That this committee is of the opinion that two schools should be built, one on the north side of Taylors Creek and one on the south side.  The headmaster, to teach alternately in either school, while his home would be built on the north side of the creek”.

That historic resolution back in 1875 saw the emergence of Alford Forest and Springburn Schools the very next year.  For on February 9^th 1876, a tender for the construction of two schools and a master’s residence was let to Mr Cooper, for a contract price of seven hundred and forty-one pound. 

Alford Forest, referred to as the main school, was completed and opened during October 1876.  Here, Mr Manning became the first master with a class of twenty-two. 

It appears the Springburn School, or Swamp Side School as it was sometimes referred, mainly because of the incessant dampness of the area, was opened a year later in 1877.

Five years later in 1882, Springburn School became independent of the Alford Forest School.  Both schools served the community for a number of years; however, I believe the Alford Forest School was unfortunately destroyed by fire during the early 1930’s.

Although the school was replaced in 1937, the rural population drifting toward the towns or other parts of the country, eventually Alford Forest, with a roll of just four pupils were forced to close in 1947.

I guess one of the hazards facing a teacher in those early days was catching and harnessing a pupils pony for their journey home.  However, a few colourful moments of some teachers at Alford Forest leads me to think, I may well have been a kid at the wrong time and attended the wrong school.

One teacher was keen on hunting, particularly deerstalking.  A neighbour knew this and one morning around playtime he advised the teacher he had seen some deer down on Grieves Flat near Taylor’s Creek, earlier that morning.  The teacher, who will remain completely nameless, promptly closed the school for the day, declaring it a holiday and went deerstalking.

Again at Alford Forest, another schoolmaster is said to have jumped out of bed each morning when the school bell rang.  He would don his robe dash over to the school give the kids a lesson before dashing home to bed for a while longer.  Some suggest it was not always his own bed he returned to either?

Perhaps it was these shenanigans and questionable examples set by some of the teachers, which led to a committee chairman’s embarrassing speech at a farewell function for one of the headmasters of the school.

Part of his speech as follows; -

“It is,” said the committee chairman on the night, “with mixed feelings of pleasure and regret, we are here to farewell our schoolmaster tonight.  It is with pleasure he is going and regrets that he hadn’t gone long ago”.