Old Parkerville School

Statement of Significance

The former Parkerville Primary School is associated with the early growth and development of Parkerville and displays a design which is unusual for a public school building of the early twentieth century. Both the former school and the former quarters demonstrate the tenacity of parents to fight for "their" school and their persistence in trying to obtain the best conditions for their children. Aesthetic Value The building blends well with the bushland setting in which it is located. Historic Value The building is closely associated with the development and growth of Parkerville. It also represents the efforts of Parkerville's early residents to provide their children with not only an adequate school building but also a healthy environment in which they could learn. The building, together with the memorial rose garden, is closely associated with the school's longest serving Head Teacher, Frederick Schoch. Scientific Value The school grounds and the area beneath the school building, have the potential to reveal archaeological information about rural schooling in a bush environment in the early twentieth century. Social Value The second Parkerville school building is important to the people of Parkerville and the current pupils of Parkerville Primary School as it gives them a visual reminder of the depth of history present in Parkerville and a sense of how earlier residents pulled together to achieve goals that would benefit the community . Representativeness The building is not representative of primary school buildings constructed by the Western Australian Education Department in the early twentieth century. The design of the building is considered to be unusual in the public school system. Condition The building is in fair condition. Integrity The building has a high level of integrity. Authenticity The building has a high level of authenticity. The original room divider between the two classrooms has been removed and is presently held in storage and so could be re-instated .

Physical Description

The former Parkerville Primary School is a timber framed structure, set in a bushland on the southern side of Riley Road (which runs parallel to the old railway line) on a sloping site. The grounds retain evidence of school play areas and a memorial rose garden. The exterior of the building is clad with brown painted weatherboards and the gable roof is covered with corrugated galvanised iron. The building is rectangular in form, with the long sides oriented north-south and sits on timber stumps. The northern side of the building is protected by a verandah. This protected area was once used as the lunch area by the school children . Both the eastern and western elevations have three double hung sash windows with fanlights. The windows on the eastern side have been fitted with metal grills. Above the windows on the western side is a CGI cantilevered awning. Access to the building is via a set of stairs set in the east and west sides of the building which lead into small lobbies. A single brick chimney, with a corbelled stack, is located on the southern side between two wings. The building's interior is divided into two classrooms with individual cloakrooms on the southern sides of the lobbies. These cloak rooms are presently used as storage areas. The folding door, which originally divided the building into two separate classrooms, has been removed and placed in storage. The classrooms share a common chimney with fire places in the south-west and south-east comers. The mantle pieces have been removed and the fireplaces covered with timber boarding. The interior walls are clad with asbestos cement sheeting, while the ceiling is plasterboard. On the northern wall of both classrooms are a row of blackboards. The windows in the western classroom have been covered with masonite. Flat play areas have been cut into the sloping site on the western, eastern and northern side of the site. The area to the west of the building are the remains of a concrete foundation. To the north of this is a flat play area. On the northern side of the building is an over-grown rose garden with a flat playing area beyond it. New toilets have been positioned on high ground on the southern side of the building . The original head teacher's quarters is located approximately 75 meters to the west of the former school building.

History

Assessment 2000 Construction 1911 Architect/designer: W.Hardwick Builder: G. Lithgow Parkerville was settled in the 1890s by timber cutters and quarry workers. The arrival of the railway in 1896 saw the settlement increase in size and by 1897 parents were requesting the provision of a school. The first school in the district was run in the local store by Bertha Towle in 1898. Residents constructed the first school on a block off Parker Road and the school opened in 1899. It soon became evident that the site was poorly drained and residents campaigned to re-locate the school to a healthier site. A new location was chosen in 1910 on Riley Road and the building was ready for occupancy in January 1911. The School Quarters were not moved until 1914. The Education Department moved to close the school in August 1921 however, parents objected and removed their children from the school. The Department was forced to back down and the school re­ opened in September 1921. Over the years, the difficulty of providing adequate play areas eventually moved the Education Department to acquire a new site and the present Parkerville Primary School was opened for occupancy in 1962. The former building continued to be used by local groups. The presence of quarries in Parkerville saw a steady influx of workers settling in the district. At the start of 1897 there were 22 school age children in the area. These children caught the train the Lion Mill (Mt. Helena) and attended the school there.1 It was during 1897 that parents organised a petition to request the establishment of a local school. The petition listed that there were 52 school age children in the district.2 In 1898, Miss Bertha Towle opened a private school in the local store in 1898 with 22 pupils. The school was crowded and the premises inadequate.3 Later in that year, the Education Department acquired Lot 86 on Paker Road for a school site. 4 By November 1898, residents had organised to construct their own school building on a cost sharing basis with the Education Department.5 The school was officially opened in January 1899 by the Minister for Education, together with the Inspector of Schools and the local MLA, Mr. Ewing.6 Miss Towle was the first teacher. Increasing pupil numbers, complaints about the unhealthy nature of the site and the gradual deterioration of the school building, led to residents to lobby for a new school, on a new site, in 1907.7 A new site was chosen in 1910 and G. Lithgow won the tender to construct a new school on a site in Riley Road.8 The tender was for £689.17.0. The building was completed by January 1911.9 In 1914, the School Quarters was removed from its location in Parker Road to its present location in Riley Road on the western side of the school building. Problems with the condition of the school quarters and the close proximity of the village school to the school run at the Parkerville Children's Home led to the Department closing the school in August 1921.10 Local parents were most annoyed by this action and removed furniture and other materials which had been provided by them for their children's education. 11 As an additional measure, the children went on strike and did not attend their new school. The Minister was approached, with parents sending a deputation. After a visit by the Minister to the school the school was re-opened on 26 September 1921.12 In 1934, Frederick Schoch was appointed the new Head Teacher at Parkerville school. He is remembered as being the longest serving Head Teacher. He retired in 1953. During his tenure the students planted a memorial rose garden on Arbor Day in 1943 and 1944. The roses were supplied by local nurseryman Mr. Bommeli. The garden is thought to have been planted in memory of both Mr Schoch and his son who was lost on the Sydney during World War II. The garden is in the process of being rejuvenated with cuttings provided by Mr Bommeli's son and daughter from old stock grown by their father. 13 A street in Parkerville has been named after Mr. Schoch. No additions were made to the school building, although spasmodic maintenance work was carried out over the years. In 1947, the Education Department began looking for a new school site due to numerous complaints over the years over the inadequate number of playing areas for the children. The steeply sloping site made it difficu lt to maintain level play areas and there are constant references to children becoming injured due to falls.'4 Nothing further was done about this matter, although letters on file indicate that the Department was still looking for a suitable site for playing fields in 1955.'5 The school's population was considerably expanded in 1954 when the Parkerville Children's Home School and the village school were amalgamated. 16 Two Bristol buildings were provided to assist in accommodating the extra pupils, 100 from the Home school and 60 from the village school.17 During the 1950s the Head Teacher wrote repeatedly to the Education Department requesting that the school be connected to the mains electrical supply and that the inadequate earth closets be replaced with a septic system. The response from the Department was always the same - no money. The Health Inspector for the Mundaring Roads Board noted that Parkerville School was the only school in the district without septic tanks.18 The parents' concerns and constant deputations even saw the Premier visit the school to see the extent of the problem .19 Unfortunately he also had the same response - no money; although it was noted that the matter of septic tanks was urgent! 20 The Department solved the problem of the limited space for playing fields and the provision of septic tanks by acquiring a new site to the south of the school and constructing new buildings on this site. Parkerville Primary school moved to its new site late in 1962. The former school building continued to be used by local groups.

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