Christian Brothers College (fmr) Kalgoorlie

Statement of Significance

Assessment of Significance: The Classroom Block is significant in exhibiting characteristics of a regional variation of the Federation Arts and Crafts style of architecture. (Criterion 1.1.)

Williams House, a two-storey building, is a dominant element in the Wilson Street streetscape. (Criterion 1.3)

The construction of Williams House in 1900, as a substantial building for the provision of medical services, was a result of the successful exploitation of the Eastern Goldfields and the continuing development of Kalgoorlie as the major administrative and commercial centre of the goldfields. (Criterion 2.1)

Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie, was established as a result of Bishop Gibney's expansive education policies from the 1880s to 1910, when there were growing numbers of Irish Catholics in Western Australia, and heavy concentrations of populations in the goldfields. (Criterion 2.2)

Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie was closely associated with the Catholic Church and their religious teaching order, the Christian Brothers, who have played an important role in the education of boys in Western Australia in the twentieth century. The place was occupied by the Christian Brothers from 1906 to 1976. (Criterion 2.3)

Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie is valued by the Catholic community for its past religious and educational associations, and by the community in general for its ongoing educational associations. (Criterion 4.1)

Williams House contributes to the local community's sense of place as a distinctive element of the Wilson Street streetscape. (Criterion 4.2)

The Classroom Block demonstrates the principle characteristics of a regional representation of a Catholic monastery school in the Federation Arts and Crafts style. (Criterion 6.1)

Statement of Significance: Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie, comprising two main buildings: Williams House, a two-storey rendered brick and iron building (1900; 1955; c.1980), and the Classroom Block, a single-storey brick and iron building with surrounding verandahs (1906; 1955; c.1980) having characteristics of the Federation Arts and Crafts style, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:

- the place was closely associated with the Catholic Church and its religious teaching order, the Christian Brothers, who have played an important role in the education of boys in Western Australia in the twentieth century. The place was occupied by the Christian Brothers from 1906 to 1976;

- the place was developed as a result of Bishop Gibney's expansive education policies from the 1880s to 1910, when there were growing numbers of Irish Catholics in Western Australia, and heavy concentrations of populations in the goldfields;

- Williams House, a two-storey building, is a dominant element in the Wilson Street streetscape, while the Classroom Block demonstrates the principle characteristics of a regional representation of a Catholic monastery school in the Federation Arts and Crafts style;

- the construction of Williams House in 1900, as a substantial building for the provision of medical services, was a result of the successful exploitation of the Eastern Goldfields and the continuing development of Kalgoorlie as the major administrative and commercial centre of the goldfields; and,

-the place is valued by the Catholic community for its past religious and educational associations, and by the community in general for its ongoing educational associations.

The cement block buildings (c.1980) that protrude from underneath the verandah of the Classroom Block are intrusive and detract from the appearance of the building.

Physical Description

Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie comprises Williams House (1900, 1906, 1955, c.1980) fronting Wilson Street, and the classroom block (1906, 1911, 1955, c.1980) facing Macdonald Street.

Williams House does not display any characteristics of the styles as described in Apperly et al (1989). There is minimal evidence of the original building on the site. The form of the building, roof, external wall materials, internal layout and materials, has all been extensively modified or is new fabric. The only obvious remains of the original building are the front entrance doors on Wilson Street, and the elements of the entry foyer, including the pressed metal ceiling and doors through to a small hall, and the remains of the upstairs French doors which open onto the reconstructed verandah.

The double storey rendered brick building with a painted corrugated iron gable roof, fronts onto Wilson Street. The front is setback from the road with an area of plantings in between. On the north side, right of the building, an expanse of lawn extends to the Macdonald Street intersection, and behind the lawned area is the Classroom Block.

The rear of Williams House comprises a number of single storey gable-roofed sections adjoining the main double storey section.

The entire exterior of the building is rendered brick. The front windows are all single double hung sashes with stucco moulded surrounds. The ground floor colonnade is formed by the first floor verandah across the two storey front of the building. The verandah is supported by 0.135 metre square steel columns. The main entry is original. The original etched glass sidelights and fanlight with the words Williams House are still intact within a flat arch moulded opening.

The entry foyer is the only space in the building which evidences the original fabric. It has retained the original pressed metal ceiling and central rose. On the right are offices, and the 1955 ply veneer dado staircase and a doorway are on the left, and an original moulded archway and double swing doors straight ahead accesses another hall. The doors are semi-glazed with opaque bubble glass, and have elaborate chrome handles. On the right of the hall is a large community room. It has gyprock ceilings and cornices, recent kitchen fixtures and fittings, and fluorescent tube lighting attached to the ceiling.

The room on the left is a classroom which leads through to a corridor on the right. On the left of the corridor are two 1955 classrooms. The end room typifies the 1955 fitout, with grooved dado line around the walls, plaster ceilings and banks of steel framed obscure glass hopper windows.

Left of the entry foyer, next to the staircase, is a hallway which leads to the residential section of the building. It is vacant and was inaccessible at the time of inspection.

The staircase from the entry foyer returns against the front wall and part obscures a window. At the top of the stairs, there is a small landing with a door into an office on the left, and an opening straight ahead, into a corridor which runs right and left. The entire upstairs is in original 1955 condition with little maintenance or upgrade having taken place since then, although some areas have gyprock ceilings.

Left down the corridor and on the left is an office off a small hallway. It has a gyprock ceiling, double hung sash windows, and a semi-glazed door with a fanlight above. On the right of the corridor is a vacant bedroom. At the end of the corridor on the right are toilet facilities. The 1955 terrazzo floors are evident in some places, but in poor condition and the other fixtures and fittings are outdated.

At the other end of the corridor, on the right (front of the building) is a double room space where a wall has been removed. The fireplace has been boarded over. Two sets of French doors give access to the front verandah. The French doors are semi-glazed, with two panes of glass in each door, obscure in the lower pane and clear glass above, as well as a fanlight. These doors are part of the original construction (1900). The verandah has 0.075 wide floorboards, a steel balustrade of vertical rods, and unpainted timber lattice has infilled the space between the balustrade and the verandah beam.

Left of the corridor, other walls have been removed. There is graffiti on the walls, damage, and vertical cracking above the doors in several places.

Downstairs, at the rear of the building, adjacent to the classrooms, an expansive brick paved area has a timber framed patio enclosed by a dado height brick wall with a shade cloth cover that provides an outdoor courtyard space. College development has encroached upon the rear and south side of Williams House.

The Classroom Block displays characteristics of the Federation Arts and Crafts style. The 'in-the-round' original building has a prominent gable roof with vented gablets each end. Regional variations of the style include corrugated iron roof and pressed metal ceilings, typified by the art nouveau detailing. The place is typical of the style in the use of cavity brick walls with traditional timber floor (originally), roof and verandah construction.

The Classroom Block fronts Macdonald Street. A 1.5 metre high cement block fence screens all but the roof from the street view. Native eucalypt planting on the street verge and within the cement paved area between the fence and the building further block the building from street view.

The Classroom Block comprises four rooms along the Macdonald Street frontage. The high pitched gable roof breaks pitch over the surrounding verandah that has hipped corners. Along the ridge of the roof, there are four sets of two ventilators. Two brick corbelled chimneys are also evident on the south side of the roof. The verandah is supported by square timber posts on brick piers 3 courses high.

The face brick walls are laid in an English bond and have a painted string course (4 courses) at 20 courses from ground level. The three rooms on the west end are detailed with a 10 course high plinth, and the bricks of the first room, at the Wilson Street end, are a different colour and texture, indicating that this section may be a later extension (possibly 1911).

Entry to the Classroom Block is from the Wilson Street end or the west end, along the rear verandah. Each room is accessed separately from the north and south verandahs and also link internally, except the first room on the right which is separate. The rooms all have concrete floors. The first two rooms on the right have the ceilings lined on the rake and the roof structure is revealed with vent ducting, ducting for the air conditioning, and light fittings exposed in the roof spaces. The timber roof structure is painted white. In the next two rooms, flat ceilings are in place. Panels of the original pressed metal ceilings have been retained and fluorescent lighting fixtures mounted onto it. The greater expanse of ceiling is acoustic panels.

The window and door openings along the south side have fanlights above. All the windows are double hung sashes in a vertical format with four panes of glass in the top and bottom sashes. The doors throughout are flush panel jarrah veneer.

In the third room, the original entry remains mostly intact, on the street side, but only functions as an access to the fenced courtyard. It is a double door opening with sidelights and decorative jarrah detailed curved fanlights, set within a detailed stucco surround. On the wall between the third and fourth rooms, there is a large recessed arch evident in the left side of the wall in the third room. In the fourth room on the right, immediately inside the door on the right is the original corner fireplace.

Around the perimeter of the Classroom Block is a series of cement block buildings with low parapet walls concealing the flat bitumen roofs. The buildings are located partially under the verandah of the Classroom Block, intruding into the verandah colonnade around the building.

History

Christian Brothers College (fmr) comprises two main buildings: Williams House, a two-storey brick and iron building constructed in 1900, extensively enlarged and rebuilt in 1955, and modified c. 1980; and the Classroom Block, a single-storey brick and iron building with surrounding verandahs, constructed in 1906, enlarged in 1911, and refurbished in 1955 and c.1980. The Classroom Block exhibits some characteristics of Federation Arts and Crafts style (Apperly, 1989: 140-143). Williams House was constructed for use as a private hospital and, from 1906 to 1976, was occupied by the Christian Brothers as their Kalgoorlie residence. In 1978, Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie was purchased by the State Government for technical education purposes and is currently a regional campus of Curtin University, known as Kalgoorlie College. The Classroom Block has been continuously used as a classroom facility and is currently occupied as a fine arts teaching area. Williams House is occupied by the Department of Applied Science.

In June 1893, Paddy Hannan and his partners discovered alluvial gold thirty miles (48 kms) north-east of Coolgardie. A camp, known as Hannan's Find, quickly developed at the site, with bough huts and hessian and canvas structures erected along the edge of the track from Coolgardie. Many of these structures housed businesses to serve the prospectors who flocked to the area. Later that year, William Brookman and Sid Pearce located gold reefs three miles south of Hannan's Find, at what was to become Boulder. On 4 September 1894, Hannan's Find was declared the townsite of Kalgoorlie (Webb, 1993: 91; King, 1995: 15; Laurie, 1995: 2-4).

Because the population was predominantly male, and there were few families on the goldfields in the earliest years, state schools were not established immediately. A school site was gazetted on Dugan Street when that area was surveyed in 1897, and the North Kalgoorlie School opened in 1902. The School of Mines was also established that year. The Catholic teaching orders had already established their schools on the goldfields by then, however. The Sisters of St John of God established a school in Kalgoorlie in 1895 and the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart established St Josephs (1896) and All Hallows (1898) in Boulder. All Hallows, which catered for secondary students as well, was the largest Catholic school outside the Perth metropolitan area, with 400 students. In Coolgardie, the Sisters of Mercy opened a primary school (1898), and a boarding school, St Anthony's (1903). Catholic schools were also established at Brown Hill, Trafalgar and Kamballie, which were settlements along the Golden Mile Loopline Railway (Neal, 1979: 148); Fletcher and Laaden, 1982: 119-122).

The growth of Catholic schools in Western Australia during this period was a direct result of the policies of Bishop Gibney. He recruited members of the Catholic teaching orders to the State, provided them with sites for their schools, and gave them leadership and encouragement to continue their work. Gibney resigned in 1910, with diocesan finances in trouble, partly due to the expansion of Catholic schools statewide, but the schools survived (Fletcher and Laaden, 1982: 119-122).

There were large numbers of Irish Catholics on the West Australian goldfields, as there had been on the goldfields of eastern Australia in the 1840s and 1850s. The Irish made up a large proportion of the convicts that had arrived in Australia and the majority of them, together with the free Irish migrants who had arrived between 1830 and 1870, were from Ireland's southern counties and were usually poor, unskilled and Catholic (Australian Encyclopedia, Grolier, Vol. 5: 255-256). The depression in the eastern states in the 1890s, which hit the least skilled the hardest, encouraged many people to try their luck on the new goldfields in Western Australia. The influx of people, including wives and children, swelled the number of Irish Catholics in the State and the Catholic schools on the goldfields were soon overcrowded.

It was to teach the boys from the Sisters schools that the Christian Brothers established themselves in Kalgoorlie in 1904. The Christian Brothers order had been established in Ireland in 1802, for the education of poor boys. The Brothers established themselves in Australia in 1868 and, in 1894, a group of them arrived in Perth. Three Brothers were sent to Albany to establish a school there, but three years later, Albany was closed in favour of establishing a school in Kalgoorlie (Letters, 'CBC Kalgoorlie Folder 1: Foundation' Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

On 17 May 1904, the Christian Brothers agreed to purchase a property on the corner of Macdonald and Wilson streets, from William Harry Turner. The land comprised portions of Lots 596 and 597 and all of Lot 598. There was a two-storey building on the land, fronting Wilson Street. It was currently rented at £6 a week and used as a private hospital. The building, Williams House, was purchased for use as the Brothers' residence (the origin of the name is not known, but the words 'Williams House' are engraved on the glass above the front door of the building). They paid £2,350 for the property (Memorandum of Agreement, 17 May 1904; Letter, 21 May 1904 with sketch plan of building 'CBC Kalgoorlie Folder 1: Foundation', Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning; C/T Vol. 194, Fol. 172, 4 September 1904; Vol. 208, Fol. 97, 4 September 1904).

Williams House had been purpose built as a hospital for Mrs Elizabeth Ann Edmunds in 1900. Prior to that she had run her hospital from premises in Hannan Street. Mrs Edmunds acquired the land on the corner of Macdonald and Wilson streets in June 1900, and on 13 September she mortgaged the property for £2,000 to William Turner, of Wittenoom & Turner, stock and share brokers (Wise's Post Office Directories, 1986-1901; C/T Vol. 191, Fol. 110 & Vol. 194, Fol. 172, 19 June 1900). In 1902, a half page advertisement appeared in the medical section of Wise's Post Office Directory advertising the place. The advertisement was accompanied by a list of six visiting doctors.

"Surgical and Medical Wards. Maternity Home in separate building and separate Nursing Staff. Only Certified and thoroughly proven Nurses are retained. This Institution is justly regarded as the most up-to-date in W. A. We specially cater for the requirements of Back Country Patients and invite enquiry and inspection of our really fine buildings and appliances. Letters, Telegrams, etc., promptly attended to. Country Patients will be met at train upon arrival" (Wise's Post Office Directories, 1902: 684).

On 21 January 1902, Mrs Edmunds was declared bankrupt and a receiver was appointed to handle her estate. Title to Williams House was transferred to William Turner in September that year (C/T Vol. 194, Fol. 172, 17 September 1902). He leased the hospital to Nurse Phillips (Wise's Post Office Directories, 1903-1905).

After agreeing to purchase Williams House, Bishop Gibney, accompanied by Brother D. F. Bodkin from Clontarf Orphanage, went to Kalgoorlie to inspect the place. On 21 May 1904, Brother Bodkin wrote to his Provincial leader, describing the property:

"The house intended for the Bros. is at the corner of two wide streets and is built of brick with tiled roof. It was specially built for and is used at present as a Private Hospital & is let at a rent of £6 a week. The workmanship and finish are first class. It is comparatively new being only, I was told, four or five years built. The electric light is laid on all over the building. Although not according to the plans we would desire or that would suit us best still it contains all the accommodation the Kalgoorlie community will likely require for many years. I enclose a sketch of the floor plans by which you will be able to form a good idea of the accommodation it affords. The kitchen with pantry is a detached weatherboard building. The dining room is also detached. It is 21ft x 12ft 6in but it is only lined inside & out with canvas. It could be easily shifted and weatherboarded & lined if desired. There is also a weatherboard cottage of 5 rooms in line with the main building. This is used as a special ward in connection with the hospital. Thought at first this might be used for the High School but further examination & reflection convinced me it could be better to sell it for removal and the price would go a good way towards erecting proper classrooms. I was assured it would realise £200. One of the large wards of the main building might also be turned into a classroom but I think it would be a pity to spoil it if it could be helped.

A great part of the ground to the back is occupied by out offices, fowlhouse, tanks & nurses quarters (mostly iron)… I was told by the agent, £5,000 was expended on the place and I think this could not be very much of an exaggeration… Opposite the Hall-door on the other side of the street there is a recreation ground of 20 acres which is used for cricket & football matches etc. This will be very convenient as a playground for the boys.

The ground on which the Hospital stands is nearly half an acre… The greatest drawback is that it is a little further from the Church (12 minutes walk) than could be wished, but… I could neither see nor hear of any other suitable place within reasonable distance… The nuns have 240 children in their schools in Kalgoorlie & more than half of them are boys" Letter, 21 May 1904, 'CBC Kalgoorlie Folder 1: Foundation', Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

The accompanying sketch plan indicated that the ceilings of the front rooms and the wards were of pressed metal, and were '15 or 16ft high' (approx 4.5 metres). Only the front section of Williams House, to a depth of 14 ft (4.25 metres) plus the verandah, was double-storey.

The Brothers considered using the old Catholic church (on another site) as their first classrooms but eventually decided to construct a new building on the Macdonald-Wilson street property, perhaps because the old church looked as though it 'may be taken away by a "willy-willy" any day' and, being entirely of iron, would be extremely hot in summer (Letter, 25 March 1902, 'CBC Kalgoorlie Folder 1: Foundation', Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

The Classroom Block was constructed fronting Macdonald Street. School furniture for the building had already been transported from Albany and stored ready for use. The Classroom Block was opened on 1 October 1906. A newspaper report of the event stated:

"Sunday afternoon ushered in what may confidently be expected to prove an important institution in the history of the goldfields - the establishment of a community of Christian Brothers in Kalgoorlie. By 3 o'clock a large crowd had collected at the school - Nurse Phillips private hospital that was - which faces McDonald Street. Bishop Gibney, who was attended by Canon Robinson, and Fathers Brennan, Kiely and Briordy, performed the customary religious services and dedicated the buildings… The house the Brothers would occupy had cost £2,350. The new school had cost £1,750 without furnishing, etc.

The new classrooms were designed by Mr Harvey G. Draper FWAIA and erected by W. J. Park. They are of bungalow design and consist of three rooms, 30x26, with a verandah 12'6" all round. They may be described as nearly all window on the sides, which Brother Duggan states to be the type of building favoured in Queensland, as it admits of free ventilation. Independent of the windows there are numerous air vents and large extractors through the roof. There is a fireplace in each room" (Western Argus, 2 October 1906: 10).

An earlier report had described the Classroom Block as:

"… especially designed for the comfort and convenience of the children in hot weather. A 12ft verandah around a building 90ft x 26ft is a luxury probably unknown in any other educational establishment in Western Australia" (Western Argus, 18 September 1906: 28).

As for Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie:

"It is anticipated that in the future the Brothers' local establishment will compare with the best elsewhere. Boys of all denominations will be admitted, and although half an hour a day will be devoted to religious instruction, no attempt will be made to tamper with the beliefs of non-Catholics. With special railway rates for children, and the college only minutes from the station, students as far as Coolgardie and Kanowna can attend" (Western Argus, 18 September 1906: 28).

At that time there were 62 Catholic schools in Western Australia, with Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie making 63. There were 20 Brothers and 233 nuns as teachers. Six thousand children attend the schools, for which no public financial aid had been provided since 1895 (Bishop Gibney's speech at the opening ceremony, Western Argus, 2 October 1906: 10).

Classes at Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie began with 184 boys and three Brothers. The following year a lay teacher was added. By 1910, enrolments were up to 221 and the lack of space was already beginning to show, with one class being taught in the 'vestibule'. In 1911, a new room was built. Dean Robinson gave £450 toward the cost of the building, indicating it was something reasonably substantial and was most likely an extension of the Classroom Block (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie, 1906-1916, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning; information also provided by physical evidence. Note: the early annals, from 1906 to about 1928, were lost or destroyed and were rewritten from memory and other documents).

In 1915, adjoining land was obtained when Catherine Harper willed Lots 607-609, fronting Cheetham Street, to the Brothers, and in 1917, another block of land on Wilson Street was acquired. The old Bulong Post Office was bought and moved to the Wilson Street site. With alterations, it acted as a temporary classroom to help relieve congestion. The following year, there was a record enrolment of 320 boys and Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie was registered as a secondary school (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie, 1916-1918, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

During the 1920s, student enrolments fell as the goldfields experienced a downturn after World War One. By 1928, numbers were down to 158, and the financial situation was becoming increasingly difficult. The buildings were badly in need of repair due to lack of finance. In 1929, the parish administration launched a public appeal, which resulted in the discharge of the bank overdraft, and new furniture for Williams House. An annual stipend for the Brothers was arranged with the Archdeacon and a Parents and Friends Association was formed to raise money for maintenance of the buildings (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie, 1920-1929, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

In 1930, a new fence was erected and the exterior of Williams House was painted. By 1932, there were five Brothers in the community, but only 120 boys enrolled. Numbers began to improve from 1935 (190) and 1936 (240). On 19 March 1939, the Archbishop inaugurated a Sunday Mass in one of the classrooms for residents in the neighbourhood. Sixty-five adults attended (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie, 1930s, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning). The following year, on 7 April, a new classroom was opened (not extant), which created an L-shape at the south-west end of the Classroom Block (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie, 1940, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning; The Record, 18 April 1940). This room also served as the chapel for the Sunday Mass for many years ('Historical Review', Jubilee of CBC Kalgoorlie, 1906-1956: 3, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

During the 1940s, enrolments reached 270, and in 1952, there was a new record enrolment of 323. The Brothers purchased more land on Macdonald Street adjoining Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie. The construction of a new lavatory block for the boys resulted in the discovery of a number of dry wells on the property, with the result that the building was constructed of reinforced concrete to prevent later cracking caused by subsidence (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie, 1941-1952, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

In the 1950s, the plan to construct a new residence for the Brothers was put in hand. An attempt to purchase land nearby for the purpose failed, so it was decided to demolish the old residence, Williams House, and construct a new monastery on the site. Estimates of cost were in the vicinity of £20,000. The plans met with some opposition from the Catholic Church administration in Perth, as the Brothers' annual income was only £2,250 and the parish was struggling to provide accommodation for the various orders. The financial problems must have been overcome, however, as 'reconstruction' of Williams House was under way late in 1954 (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie, 1952-54, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

The architects for the project were Henderson & Thompson of Perth, and the contractor was T. D. Scott of Kalgoorlie. Henderson and Thompson have a history of work for the Catholic community. In the 1970s, they were involved in Keaney College, Bindoon, and St Charles Seminary, Guildford. The final estimate for the work was £18,000, comprising £13,777 for Williams House and £4,223 for other school buildings. Photographs and plans indicate that Williams House was considerably enlarged and a full-upper storey constructed (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie, 1955, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning; plans, Henderson & Thompson, February 1954). Included in the general construction programme were additional classrooms, a science laboratory, a bigger handball court, a steel-framed gymnasium, new playing fields on adjoining land, and refurbishment of the Classroom Block. The buildings were officially opened on 12 June 1955 (The Record, 16 June 1955: 1).

Another change in 1955, was the dropping of third grade classes. Why this was felt necessary is not certain, as it had an adverse effect on revenue, but was possibly a matter of allocation of space and resources as the number of students staying on to complete their leaving certificate began to increase. In 1956, there was an enrolment of 262 made up of fifth grade (48), sixth grade (35) seventh grade (39) first year (50), second year (38), junior certificate (33), sub-leaving (11) and leaving certificate (8). In 1958, there were seven Brothers in the community. In 1959, boys began taking woodwork and metalwork classes at Eastern Goldfields Technical School (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie, 1956-59, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

In 1961, a metal-framed hall, the 'Brother Smith Memorial Hall', was constructed on Macdonald Street for £2,000, with numerous donations of material and labour from local organisations. The Classroom Block verandah floors were renewed in 1964, at a cost of £900, and the exterior of Williams House was painted. The Brothers also acquired the land next door on Wilson Street, the missing section of Lots 596 and 597, that had been sold off prior to their purchase of the original property in 1904. This land had an iron cottage of two rooms on it. The intention was to build a science block on the site.

Enrolments fluctuated in the 1960s, affected by various outside factors, such as the increase of the school leaving age from fourteen to fifteen, resulting in more boys staying longer at school, and the opening of the new nickel mines which took boys away from Kalgoorlie as primary schools opened at the new mine townsites, such as Kambalda (Letter, 21 May 1904, 'CBC Kalgoorlie Folder 1: Foundation', Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning; Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie 1961-64, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning). The nickel fields and the increased price of gold, however, gave the Brothers confidence to continue developing Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie. The State Grants (Science Laboratories) Act, 1971, resulted in the construction of a three-room science block at a cost of $43,000. This was followed by a new library constructed with the assistance of the Commonwealth Secondary Schools Libraries Program (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie 1967-72, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

In 1971, Prendiville College senior high school for girls was opened on Lionel Street, Kalgoorlie. The resources of Prendiville College and Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie were pooled to provide a wider range of courses for students in fourth and fifth years. Students were transported back and forth to attend classes at each school, and evaporative air-conditioning was installed in all classrooms, including the Classroom Block (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie 1971-74, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie site was extremely crowded, however, and busing students was inconvenient and inefficient. With the confirmation of a government grant to assist with construction, the Brothers purchased an eight acre site (3.6ha) next to Prendiville College for a new college complex. The land belonged to the State Housing Department and cost the Brothers $40,000 (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie 1971-74, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning). The new college was opened on Lionel Street on 29 February 1976. In the 1980s, it combined with Prendiville College to become the co-educational John Paul College (Annals of CBC Kalgoorlie 1975-76, Christian Brothers' Archives, 'Westcourt', Manning).

In 1978, Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie was purchased by the State Government for the purpose of technical education (C/T Vol. 1062, Fol. 7, 2 May 1978). Some alterations were made to Williams House to adapt it for use as classrooms, and it was probably at this time that the facade of the building was altered, and brought back closer to its original appearance (Photographs, 1904, 1956 and 1999). The Classroom Block was also refurbished, and a number of small, cement block buildings were constructed around the perimeter, accessed from the verandahs. The classroom (1940) at the south-west end had been removed some time earlier (Site plan, possibly 1970s; floor plan of Classroom Block for Kalgoorlie College).

The land on which Christian Brothers College (fmr), Kalgoorlie was situated was amalgamated into Lot 3633 and, in 1986, was gazetted Reserve 39589 for educational purposes (Western Australian Government Gazette, 31 October 1986: 4054). In 1989, Reserve 39589 was enlarged and vested as Kalgoorlie College, a regional campus of Curtin University of Technology (Western Australian Government Gazette, 7 July 1989: 2075). There have been other alterations to the site since 1978, including a new building on the site of the old science block behind Williams House, and buildings on the Cheetham Street frontage (1999 site plan of Kalgoorlie College, provided by the College).

In 1999, Williams House was occupied by Kalgoorlie College Department of Applied Science, and the Classroom Block was occupied as a fine arts teaching area.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Moderate to Low
Authenticity: Moderate to High

Condition

Poor (William House); Good (Classroom Block)

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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.