Page 15 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

10.

SCHOOLS OF THE CITY OF GREATER CESSNOCK MUNICIPALITY

In his history of the Church of England in the Newcastle Diocese
by A.E. Elkin, one finds he refers to diaries kept by Rev. J. Whinfield
whilst he (Whinfield) was the incumbent at Wollombi. In his diary, Rev.
Whinfield records that on 14th July 1852 he visited the Millfield Church
of England School; that on 26th August 1852 he visited Ellalong Church
of England School; that during 1852 he made many visits to the Wollombi
Creek Church of England School. Later in his diaries, on 30th May 1855,
Rev. J. Whinfield states that he visited Laguna for the purposes of discussions
about the establishment of a school. The 1855 Church of England Diocesan
Records state that a grant was made during the year for the erection of a
school at Laguna.

In an appendix headed "Aid Sought" in the Annual Report for 1858,
two schools from within our city boundaries appear in the list, they are:-

Cessnock
Ell along

The 1859 Annual Report shows Cessnock School opening on 1st February 1859 and
Ellalong Public School opening on 1st July 185~, replacing the Ellalong Church
of England School whfrh had closed on 1st April 1859. The next to open within
our city was Wattagon Creek. Denominational schools were not shown in every
annual report, but in a list of such schools in the 1863 Report, Millfield and
Laguna are recorded. Wollombi Creek Church of England School is shown in the
Denominational Listings in the 1864 Report; a reference is also made to
Quorrobolong School, but gives little information or details. Further research
disclosed correspondence from Mrs. Margaret Daunt of Quorrobolong to the
Department of Public Instruction, dated 13th December ·1877, in .which she states
that in 1864 she had built at her own expense, and 6pene~ a school at Quorrobolong

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The following list gives the date in order of the establishment of
the schools within the boundaries of the City of Greater Cessnock.