Page 97 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

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104.

"CESSNOCK EAST" SCHOOL
STATE ARCHIVES FILE NO. - 5/15358-1

The development of the coal mines in the early 1900's surrounding
Cessnock, continued without abate right up to the start of the 1920's.
Whilst many small villages and towns sprang up adjacent to these new
pits and collieries, the greater proportion of the increasing population
settled in the larger towns of Kurri, Weston, Aberrnain and Cessnock.
These increased numbers brought a tremendous surge in children of school
age.

Whilst the smaller villages soon had their local schools, the
larger town schools' accommodation was greatly taxed. The main Cessnock
school, by 1920, had some one thousand five hundred (1 ,500) pupils.
The old Cessnock Branch School was transferred nearby and re-opened in
a new building at Nulkaba in this period. A new infants school was
opened in May 1920 at West Cessnock and almost immediately pressure was
being made for a primary school in the same grounds.

Meanwhile, another area of Cessnoc~ was being sub-divided and
developed. This was East Cessnock . David Gallagher's Estate of forty
(40) acres on the south side of Maitland Road, was progressively sub-
divided and auctioned, commencing with Gallagher and David Streets, on'
26th September 1908 and continued right down to Victoria Street. Carrolls'
Estate was sub-divided and sold privately in building blocks by John
O'Sullivan, Auctioneer and Estate Agents. The small Gehrig's Estate,
consisting of Anstey, George and Elizabeth Streets, was almost completely
sold by 1920. This was also the situation with Doyle's Estate, which
ran from the Cessnock Hotel back to Gehrig's Estate. Then followed
the construction of homes.

An active 'East Cessnock Progress Association', headed by "Pop"
G.W. Wheeler, of Ercildoune Street and J. Kennedy of Gallagher Stree~,
sought the establishment of a purJlic school in East Cessnock. The
Association stressed that ma:.y East Cessnock children hc.d to travel thro1~,;sh
scrubland to the Cessnock Primary School at Aberdare, or to cross the
dangerous waterholes of tl1e Bell bird and Lavendar Creeks, going to the
Cessnock Branch (or Nulkaba) school. The Association considered bo t h
routes were dangerous.