Page 351 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

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at 12/6d. ($1.26) per week. The Methodist Church also stipulated that it
required the hall for church services each Sunday. The hiring arrangement
was cancelled in December 1905 when the Church Hall was moved to another site
in the Weston township.

It was back to serious over-crowding, because school pupil numbers
had grown to 203. As a temporary arrangement, another verandah thirty five
(35) feet by twelve (12) feet was added to the side of the school and a weather-
shed twenty two (22) feet by twelve (12) feet was erected. However, for
classroom space, Shedden's Hall was rented. This Hall was sixty three (63)
feet by twenty five (25) feet and had an ante-room twenty (20) feet by ten (10)
feet.

The Hunter District Water Board had completed its water supply to
Weston by July 1905. One of its early users was the Weston Primary School.
Mr. C.G. Bryen, Plumber, connected the new water mains to the Weston Public
School during December 1905.

School numbers continued to grow. Early in 1906, Mr. Reece Lewis,
contractor of Horseshoe Bend Maitland, won a tender to add three (3) new class-
rooms to the Weston School. His contract price was £898.0.0. ($1,796.00).
The new building was an ''L'' shaped structure with one new classroom built on
the western side of the previous classroom. Two other classrooms were added
on the eastern side. The seven (7) feet verandah became the new corridor.
The additional classrooms, each thirty (JO) feet by twenty two (22) feet were
completed and occupied on 5th November 1906, with Sheddens Hall being vacated
on the same date.

Despite the new classrooms, accommcdation was soon again taxed.
Pupil enrolment numbers continued to grow. Acting Inspector George A. Blumer
made a visit to Weston Primary School on 3rd May 1907. In his repcrt to his
Department he advised that the school enrolme:its had reached 231 pu~ils. He
stat~d that 'Lower first' classes were being taught in the corr~dor. A further
inspe~tion was made by Senior Inspector frie~d some three months later. Even
in such a short period, enrolment numbers had grown by another fourteen (14)
pupils. Inspector friend recommended that more classrooms should te built,