Page 61 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools
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B R 0 WN MU I R S C H 0 0 L
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Inspector James, on 19th August 1922, visited Brown Muir to
conduct an investigation on behalf of the Department of Education. He
advised the residents that if suitable accommodation could be found, he
would recommend that Brown Muir School should be opened as a 'Subsidised'
school. Further, he promised that if the required numbers were maintained,
Brown Muir School would be raised to the status of a 'Provisional' school.
On 30th September 1923, the Department of Education finally
converted the Brown Muir Private School to a 'Sub$idised' school with
Amy Lee as teacher. A school room was leased from . A.J. Crawford at a
weekly rental of 10/- ($1 .00). The Department supplied some furniture
and school materials on 27th October 192~.
With the very good prospects of Brown Muir becoming a 'Provisional'
school, late in 1923 Mrs. Amelia Crawford arranged to have a schoolhouse
constructed. This was a wooden-framed building, eighteen (18) feet long
by fourteen (14) feet wide and eleven (11) feet high. It was lined on
the outside with splayed weatherboards. It had a corrugated galvanised
iron roof and was provided with one 400-gallon drinking water storage
tank. Mrs. A. Crawford advised the Department of Education that if Brown
Muir School became a 'Provisional' school and remained open for a ten
(10) year period, she would give the building and a two (2) acre ground
site to the Department. The Department decided to accept her offer.
On 24th January 1924, Brown Muir School opened as a 'Proyisional'
school with Lottie Wales as teacher.
An Education Departm~ntal paint and repair staff man inspected
the school during March 1924. His report shows that he considered the
lavatory arrangements to be far below the standard of the Department's
requirements. His report states:-
"The W.C. 's provided are butterboxes with the tops
and bottoms removed, set over an opening in the
floor over pits. The boys' urinal is a piece of
galvanised iron discharging into the pit".
