Page 209 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

232.

MISTLETOE FARM SCHOOL
STATE ARCHIVES FILE NO. - 5/16870-3

Quite a number of parents adjacent to the region where Mistletoe
Farm School was established, had sent their children to a nearby 'Rockview'
school. This Rockview school had closed during 1909, due to small and
poor attendances of pupils. William McNamara, in 1912, on behalf of
his fellow local residents, wrote to the Department of Public Instruction
seeking the establishment of a school. He also forwarded a petition
giving the names of residents of the area, their number of possible pupil
children, the family religion, and the distance of their home from the
suggested school. The petition shows the following:-

POSSIBLE PUPILS DISTANCE TO

NAME BOYS GIRLS FAMILY RELIGION PROPOSED SCHOOL

F. Bendeich 1 4 Roman Catholic H miles
Enoch Stapleford 1 1 Church of England
Charles King 3 l Church of England 2~ miles
Alfred A. Gordon 1 1 Presbyterian 2 miles
1 Not shown Nearby
? Lane 2 1 Not shm-m 1 mile
? Regan 2 2 Not shown 2 miles
? Cook 2 2 miles
R. Thrift 4 Roman Catholic 2~ miles
Alex Wiseman 4 Roman Catholic Uc-. miles
Birch Stapleford l 3 Church of England l mile
? Hardes l 1 Methodist 2 miles
John Deasy 1 l mile
William Elliott 1 Roman Catholic
H. McConnell 1 Methodist H miles
R. Hardes Not shown H miles
2 1 Not shown
3 miles

Inspector George Blumer visited the area and furnished a report
to the Department of Public Instruc t ion. In this r e port he a d ~ised that
there was, at most, a possible school pupil attendance of 23 children,
12 boys and 11 girls. Further, he advised that except for J. Deasy,