Page 280 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

303. '

PAYNES CROSSING SCHOOL

£50.0.0. ($100.00). The new school was completed on 31st December 1883.
The contractors billed an additional £200.0.0. ($400.00) for the work of
removing an~ re-erecting. When the Department of Public Instruction challenged
the high charge the contractors, after negotiations, finally accepted £75.0.Q.
($150.00) for their extra work.

James Payne on 1st September 1887, completed the construction of forty
(40) panels . of fencing with sixteen (16) palings to the panel. For this
fencing work he was paid £3.4.0. ($6.40). A flood on 2nd July 1889 washed
down the fence so John Burgess was paid . £4.12.0. ($9.20) to re-erect it. In
August 1890, the school was closed for a week whilst Robert Daly made some repairs
and painted the interior of the classroom. His quote had been £23.0.0. ($46.00).

John Burgess, on 21st August 1892, sent a letter to the Department
of Public Instruction requesting that the adjoining school reserve of some eight
(8) acres be fenced in for use as a horse paddock by the schoolchildren. The
Department's Inspector, upon investigating the request, thought that the only
one to benefit would be the school's neighbour, Mr. John Burgess. Teache~
Harold Slade also forwarded a letter to the Department suppering the Inspector's
view.

Stockyard Creek was re-named Paynes Crossing on 21st September 1892.
It is possible that school teacher Harold Slack may have contributed to the
re-naming of the area. He had been appointed to Stockyard Creek School in
December 1890 . Shortly after he complained to his District School Inspector,
T. Dwyer, that he was having some difficuUy with his school mail being
misdirected. This is easily understood, because at that particular time the
Department had three ~3) Stockyard Creek Schools; one on the Clarence Riv~r;
one near Fern Glen, and the third on the Cockfighter Creek. The name "Paynes

. .Crossing" is said to have been chosen bec::ause the actual creek crossing by .. ne

main road was made on the land of an early settler whose name was Payne. Even
the very first classroom was in a hut owned by this family.

A water 'storage tank was supplied for £5.15.0. ($11.50) by John Burgess
on 16th July i892. Robert Slack of Wollombi, on 31st July 1893, rebuilt two (2)