Old Uduc School Building

Parent Place or Precinct

12028 Harvey Precinct No. 3

Statement of Significance

• The old school building has historic value as a demonstration of the type of facility provided for schooling in the early 20th century. • The place has social value for the families of community members who were educated there as demonstrated by the community effort in restoring the building.

Physical Description

Small timber framed structure with jarrah board cladding on timber stump footings. Substantial brick chimney forming the corner of the building with the corbelled stack projecting out through the roof. Steep pitched gabled roof clad in corrugated metal. Lean-to verandah with shallow pitched skillion roof clad in corrugated metal, supported on timber columns and with timber decking. Front elevation only incorporates a single timber door. The principal side elevation incorporates two windows, both vertically emphasized divided into three panes. A commemorative stone and plaque has been erected in memory of the pioneers of the Uduc area with the school being operable between 1899-1921.

History

In 1897 when the settlers of Uduc had 26 children under the age of 14 years, Mrs Anna Smith, donated a quarter acre of her land for a school to be built and a room for a teacher to board. Mrs. Smith lived at Uduc Farm house where the large Moreton Bay Fig Tree now stands near the Uduc corner. After correspondence with the Education Department the Uduc Settlers were given approval to build a school and the government paid for the material. The Uduc School was built by the local community and opened in July 1899 with furniture and books supplied by the Education Department. Miss Eileen Nielsen was head teacher and later teachers were Messrs R. Murdock, O’Mara and D. D’Evelynes. In 1900, there was an average attendance of 30 pupils at the Uduc School. A tank and stand were erected for a water supply and many other problems which persisted were slowly alleviated by the teachers, some of whom boarded with Mrs. Smith until teachers’ quarters were built in July 1903. By 1909, the number of students dropped to nine and these attended rarely. Hence the school closed for two years with the local children attending the Coast School and others going into Harvey. With new families settling at Uduc, the school opened again in 1912. With the centralisation of schools in 1921 the Uduc School closed after which children were taken by bus to Harvey. In recent years members of schools of the Uduc Progress Association have restored the old school building, conserving the two south windows, the chimney and the original blackboards inside. In 1999, a memorial plaque was laid for the 100 year celebrations. In 2010, the Shire of Harvey renewed the roof cladding, guttering and downpipes. In 2011, the school building was repainted.

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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