Page 344 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

375.

WATT AGAN CREEK SCHOOL

There appears to have been some sort of vendetta between Inspector J. Jones
and the local School Board. On 9th September 1876, Inspector Jones refused
to support the Board's application for a new school because he thought local
Board Member James Woodbury was scheming against Teacher Thomas Power in order
to get his sister-in-law appointed as teacher. The feud continued. Inspector
Jones submitted a report on 1st May 1877 stating that Wattagan Creek had had
a bad record over the previous five years, both in the payment of school fees
and in the attendances and punctuality of the pupils. Further, the school
building was in a very poor state of repair and he recommended its closure.
The Department adopted this course and the school closed on 30th June 1877.

Residents of Wattagan Creek on 24th April 1880, through the efforts
of a letter from James Woodbury, again sought the establishment of a school.
A petition forwarded with this letter gives the information of family name,
number of children of school age, family religion and distance from their
requested school.

POSSIBLE PUPILS DISTANCE FRC·!

NAME BOYS GIRLS FJl.MILY RELIGION SUGGESTED SCHOOL

Timothy Mannix 1 1 Roman Catholic 1 mile
D.C. Campbell 3
Mary Lynch 1 Church of England 1 mile
Francis Crump 1
William Crump 1 Roman Catholic 1 mile
Elizabeth Lynch 2 1 Roman Catholic
Robert Leslie 1 2
Albert Hawkins 3
James Woodbury 3 1 mile
Henry Hockey
William McMullen 1 li
Mary Langan 3
Leonard Burgess 1 1 Church of England 1 mile
James Webbens 1
John B. Cooper 1 4
John Burgess 1
Thomas Sylvester 23 1 Roman Catholic 1 mile
Charles Burgess
li

2 Church of England 1 mile

li

1 Church of England l mile

1 Roman Catholic ·1 mile

2

1 Church of England 3 miles

2 Church of England 2 miles

1 Roman Catholic 2 miles

2 Prote3tant 1 mile

1 Roman . Catholic 1 mile

1 Roman Catholic H miles

1 Protestant 1 mile

4

1 Protestant 1 mile
2 Protestant
2

l~ miles

21 TOTAL = 44 Children