The city of Armidale turned 150 years old the other day, but so also did a tiny bush school at Kelly's Plains maybe 10 km out of town. We went there today to the celebration and look over where Dot's uncle, Bob Burling, taught for 27 years until his retirement in 1973. I've never met him, but have caught up with his recently deceased son, Jim, who went to school with Dot.
Kelly's Plains is a tract of flattish grazing country south of Armidale as this picture shows and we surmised that the school opened to the service the children of workers on the surrounding pastoral stations. I have no idea who Kelly was!
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At the start of the 1970s, this was the only school building - I presume it was a one-teacher primary school of which many still exist in remote locations. There was also a now demolished teacher's house. Dot, with her back to us, is looking at photos of her uncle.
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Nowadays, paradoxically, the school has more class-rooms and facilities, but not because of an explosion in farm population. Quite the opposite. Most farms require little labour, but the locality has an explosion of hobby farms owned by people working in Armidale. The class-rooms and the library were open for inspection, and even the canteen was producing meals for visitors like us. Note the straw bales for seating.
There was some art-work painted on corrugated iron and the obligatory jumping castle.
And, in a covered area behind the school were some money making ventures helping the school's finances selling lemonade, second-hand books, jewellery, food and so on - even a grade 5 pupil busking on his violin. It was interesting trip down memory lane for both of us out in the countryside.
AS
Kelly's Plains is a tract of flattish grazing country south of Armidale as this picture shows and we surmised that the school opened to the service the children of workers on the surrounding pastoral stations. I have no idea who Kelly was!
.jpg)
.jpg)
At the start of the 1970s, this was the only school building - I presume it was a one-teacher primary school of which many still exist in remote locations. There was also a now demolished teacher's house. Dot, with her back to us, is looking at photos of her uncle.
.jpg)
Nowadays, paradoxically, the school has more class-rooms and facilities, but not because of an explosion in farm population. Quite the opposite. Most farms require little labour, but the locality has an explosion of hobby farms owned by people working in Armidale. The class-rooms and the library were open for inspection, and even the canteen was producing meals for visitors like us. Note the straw bales for seating.
There was some art-work painted on corrugated iron and the obligatory jumping castle.
And, in a covered area behind the school were some money making ventures helping the school's finances selling lemonade, second-hand books, jewellery, food and so on - even a grade 5 pupil busking on his violin. It was interesting trip down memory lane for both of us out in the countryside.
AS
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