Page 40 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

35.

BELLBIRD SCHOOL
STATE ARCHIVES FILE NOS. 5/14855

5/14856

Soon after the commencement of operations by the Caledonian
Collieries in the Cessnock area at Aberdare and Aberdare Extended Pits
in 1904, other coal developers were searching for coal leases to the
south-west of Cessnock. One of these early developers was the Hetton
Coal Company, which later changed its Cessnock area operations name to
the 'Bellbird Colliery'. The drive to coal at this colliery corTLmenced
during 1908. As was customary with other mining areas, the colliery
soon attracted a little village in close proximity.

On 4th January 1909, Mr. William Farnham wrote to the Education
Department pointing out that there were sixteen (16) children of school
age in the new mining village. He suggested in his letter that these
children required either a new school in this area, or alternatively
the children should be conveyed to the school at Cessnock. In his
letter, Mr. Farnham listed the following children's names:-

Three Craft children
One Farnham child
Two Westlake children
Two Williams children
One Brown child
Two Mc Cormach children
Four Tattersall children
One Hall child

The Department of Ecucation replied by forwarding to Mr. Farnham,
the normal petition forms, which were required to be signed by the parents
of the prospective pupils. This form indicated the number of school children
in the family, the distance from the nearest school and indiccting the family's
religion.