Local Government
Woodanilling
Region
Great Southern
unknown Woodanilling
Woodanilling
Great Southern
Constructed from 1951
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 18 Mar 2003 | Category 3 | |
The site is closely associated with the provision of schooling in the district.
The original school was burned to the ground (1949) and rebuilt shortly after.
While an official school site had been declared at the time the lessons had first commenced in the hall in 1903, no progress had been made in the building of a school. In fact Mr Cecil Andrew, Inspector General of Schools wrote on November 9, 1905, "The Hall Committee has apparently done everything it could, on several occasions, to inconvenience the teacher in order to force the Department's hands." At the beginning of the 1906 school year, Miss Mary Ashe replaced Mill Ada McMahon, who had been at Woodanilling for over two years, as the schoolmistress. Mary Ashe and her pupils moved into their new timber school house on March 1, 1906 and several years later additions to the schoolroom, quarters were carried out and a school fence was erected. With the steady increase of numbers a second classroom was built and ready for use in November 1912 with an additional teacher being appointed. The Woodanilling School like many others of that time staged an annual picnic sports. The introduction of school buses during the mid 1940's brought a revolution to country education. Almost overnight the small schools were closed and the children collected in the school buses were transported to a large central school. The 1940's decade in Woodanilling ended on a sensational note when the school was burned down, it happened during Friday night, July 7, 1949. Mrs Andrew Brackie first noticed the blaze at 3 am and despite the efforts of the locals to control the fire the school was a complete loss. The school had just had extensive renovations and painting done. The fire was believed to be arson by some of the pupils. About 100 local residents came to a special Parent's and Citizen's meeting to discuss future schooling in the town. After much discussion it was agreed that a new school be built to take up to grade 5 inclusive. The suggestion by the Education Department that children attend only until grade 3 and then be taken by bus to Katanning was rejected. The new school was completed in late October 1951, well over two years since the fire. There were many complaints by the Roads Board and local residents at the slow progress and tardiness of the Department in building the new school.
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos/Maps: JO/17-10/22; John Bird;"Round Pool to Woodanilling" pp 195, 179 | 1985 |
Individual Building or Group
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Original Use | EDUCATIONAL | Primary School |
| Present Use | EDUCATIONAL | Primary School |
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Settlements |
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