Victoria Plains School (fmr)

Author

Shire of Victoria Plains

Place Number

12855

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Location

Great Northern Hwy Yarawindah

Location Details

opposite the Yarawindah Hall 6kms south of New Norcia

Other Name(s)

Yarawindah School , St Josephs School

Local Government

Victoria Plains

Region

Wheatbelt

Construction Date

Constructed from 1872

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	27 Oct 1998	Category 2	Category 2 A place of considerable cultural heritage significance; provide an appropriate level of recognition and protection. Recommend that maximum encouragement is provided to the owner to conserve the significance of the place. Nomination to the National Trust Classified List is recommended, to afford protection by means of moral persuasion. (TPS procedure also relevant) May be nominated to the National Trust of Australia(WA) for National Trust Classification. A National Trust classification has no legal significance and does not infringe on the rights of ownership of a property in any way. National Trust Classification is a mark of recognition of the cultural heritage value of a property, and relies on moral persuasion for protection. A National Trust submission would be the responsibility of the community, not the Shire

Statement of Significance

The place has considerable significance as the first non missionary school in the Victoria Plains, and associations with the early settlers and education.

Physical Description

Brick construction with a gable corrugated iron roof.

History

A small one room school was established to cater for the education needs of the settler's children, particularly the Anglicans in the area. Canon Martelli planned the school on land donated by the Clune brothers. Funds were raised by the community by various ways, including a tea meeting in 1871, attended by a hundred people, and raising £3. During the course of construction in 1872, floods rose the Moore River to its highest known levels. It was fortuitous that Father Martinez had directed that the walls be double thickness and of burnt bricks. The school was originally called St Joseph's School, when it opened in October 1872, but soon became known as Victoria Plains School. Martin Butler gave up his Road Board seat and Secretary position to become the teacher, but he had very bad eyesight, and was assisted by his daughters. In 1878/79, he withdrew and the school closed. He returned in 1879 Mary Butler was the teacher with 21 students. In 1884, Mary married Sergeant Troy, and Toodyay teacher Elizabeth McKight took over. When the railway went to Mogumber, it became a townsite and trucking centre. The provisional Victoria Plains School closed in 1899. Yarawindah was the focus of the Anglican settlers in the Victoria Plains area.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Redeemable
Authenticity: High degree

Condition

Poor

Associations

Name	Type	Year From	Year To
Father Martinez	Architect	1872	-

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
	Erickson R; "The Victoria Plains".	Shire of Victoria Plains	1971

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Original Use	EDUCATIONAL	Combined School
Present Use	VACANT\UNUSED	Vacant\Unused

Construction Materials

Type	General	Specific
Wall	BRICK	Common Brick
Roof	METAL	Corrugated Iron

Historic Themes

General	Specific
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES	Education & science

Creation Date

03 Dec 1998

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

01 Jan 2017

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.