Page 214 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

237.

MOUNT FINCH SCHOOL

establish a school. Because of a similarity in the title "Mc Donalds Flat"
to that of another established area, John Fernance was requested to submit
another name. He advised the Council that his property itself was called
"Mount Finch" and suggested that this might be suitable.

Aid for the school was granted on 22nd July 1884. On this day also,
a lease was drawn up between John Fernance and the Council of Education to
rent a building and one acre of land to be used as a school and playground.
The yearly rental is shown as "One Peppercorn, if demanded". Mount Finch
School opened on 24th July 1884, with Margaret Kenny as teacher.

During early 1885, Inspector Dwyer, in his investigation of the re-
opening of Dairy Arm School, recommended that it should be a 'Half-Time' school,
sharing the teacher Margaret Kenny from Mount Finch. The Council of Education
inaugurated this situation on 28th May 1885.

In response to a Dairy Arm area initiative, Inspector J. Maynard
recommended that Dairy Arm should become a 'Provisional' Grade School. Mount
Finch was also raised in status to that of a "Provisional" frc:n 25th June 1639,
and from this date, Kate Arthur became the teacher at Mount Finch Provisional
School.

Dairy Arm's enthusiastic School Board had arranged for new desks
to be built when the school was raised in status to "Provisionc.l". The old
des~s were forwarded to Mount Finch.

Dairy Arm had great difficulty in retaining a teacher in its first
six months as a 'Provisional' School. When Inspector Dwyer :.:a.de his annual
examination, he found no teacher in attendance.

Because Dairy Arm had only sixteen (16) pupils enrolled and Mount
Finch had only eleven (111, Inspector Dwyer recommended that t~ese two shc~ld
be linked as . 'Half-Time' Schools. The Department followed t'.iis recorr_r!l.endc.tion
which took effect from 19th February 1890, with Alexander Lochrin as teacher.