PALLINUP SCHOOL

The school was a typical weatherboard building with one room, but later another room was added. At first there were 20 pupils; often there was only one teacher for 30 or more children from infants to seniors. At times there was up to 48 students in the one classroom.

Tennis courts were later built close to the school. Mr Wright, whose farm was adjacent to the school site, gave the land for school tennis courts, teachers houses and the yard for horses, as well as for the sports ground.

OLD HUT USED FOR ORIGINAL SCHOOL
 

The uniform for girls was a ‘fawny-brown’ flannel skirt pleated on a bodice, long fawn socks and black lace up Dunlop shoes. Garters made of elastic were worn with the long socks. The sports uniform was a blue and gold bandana and sash. Pallinup was very successful in the Interschool competitions. (Information from Margaret Brade nee White)

Up until the school opened many children hadn’t mixed much with others and there was a lot of banter and teasing.  The children from the White family had 4 miles (6.5 kilometres) to go to school. Often they would start walking home and then were picked up along the way.  The Chamber’s children used to walk home 2 and a half miles, and Barnard's had about 1 and a quarter miles to walk. probably Others rode horses or used a horse and cart/sulky/etc. The horses would be tied up or put in the horse yard, and were generally not fed or watered during school hours. (This helped motivate them to make their way home without too much coaxing!)

The Pallinup school building was sometimes used for local social functions such as church services.

The P&C held dances there to raise money at the school, the music provided by Joe Whyatt and Jack Kennedy. With the old pump up lights, the women making coffee in a cut down kerosene tins, these functions prove very popular, enjoyable and financially successful events.

Another memorable occasion was when a dignitary related to the royal family visited the small community. Of course everybody wanted to be there, and Mrs Wright gave her husband Ernie Wright the job of boiling the water in the kerosene tin at their house which was a few hundred metres from the school, adding the tea leaves, and bringing it down to the schoolhouse. (One of Ernie's sayings was “I’m the man that does the doings”). But Ernie couldn't wait for it to boil, and brought down a bucket of lukewarm water with tea leaves floating on the top! He was never allowed to live that one down!

1925          Teacher   O'CONNER  Kathleen               Head Teacher on Probation

The Pallinup School opened on September 14, 1925 following pressure from local Pallinup families. (Education Department Library Records)
 

PALLINUP SCHOOL OPENING 1925
 

1926          Teacher   O'CONNER  Kathleen               Head Teacher on Probation

1927          Teacher   O'CONNER  Kathleen               Head Teacher on Probation

1928          Teacher   McGUIRE  Winifred                Head Teacher

1929          Teacher   McGUIRE  Winifred                Head Teacher

PALLINUP SCHOOL   1929c
JEAN DENNY Front Left, MAVIS DENNY back right

 

1930          Teacher   JORDAN  Hannah                 Head Teacher on Probation   

  1930
Back Row L - R:    DAPHNE FREEGARD, KATE WOODS,VAL WRIGHT, MAVIS DENNY, DAVID STEWART, OWEN WOODS, ALWYN FREEGARD, NORMAN FREEGARD
Front Row L - R:  EILEEN CHAMBERS. DOROTHY FREEGARD, JUNE STEWART, DOREEN FREEGARD, AUDREY WRIGHT, DORIS CHAMBERS, GWEN CHAMBERS, JEAN DENNY
Cross Legged L -R:  TREVOR WOODS, FRANK BARNARD, RUSSEL DENNY, RON WOODS

1931          Teacher   CONSTANTINE Amelia          Head Teacher
                   Teacher   CURTIS Irene                      Head Teacher    

1932          Teacher   VENNING  Gladys                Head Teacher

1933          Teacher   VENNING  Gladys                Head Teacher

1934          Teacher   LARSON  John                    Head Teacher

One teacher, Mr ‘Jack’ Larson (John), was a volatile red head. He taught at Pallinup from January 1934 until December 1936. Most children got on well with him although he was “very hard on some children” (Joy Stewart nee White). Mr Larson lived in the shearing quarters at the Pallinup homestead and walked to school. He went up to Wright’s for his dinner and always wore a suit. Mr Larson had a habit of sometimes closing the school a day early “without authority” at the end of term and was threatened with dismissal several times.

1935          Teacher   LARSON  John                    Head Teacher
                                 FREEGARD  Daphne            Sewing Mistress

In 1935 there was still just one classroom with around 48 students from infants upward. Sports day was considered the best day of the year. Mr Larson, was a sports fanatic and endeavoured to instill a love of all sports in his students. Later Mr Harrison was also tremendous at enthusing the children. Tommy Stewart, Mr Chambers and Mr Cockram started a Sports Carnival in November each year against Gnowangerup, Jackitup, East Broomehill, Salt River/Borden and Moortvale. Over the years Pallinup, which only a small school, had a very high rate of success.

THE STEWART CHILDREN OFF TO PALLINUP SCHOOL
 

1936          Teacher   LARSON  John                    Head Teacher
                                 VENNING  Herbert               Monitor on Probation
In 1936 a shelter shed, provided by the P & C became a second classroom when a monitor, Mr Brown, was employed. He boarded with Albert Freegard and the children remembered him being ‘so glum’.  He taught the Infants and Grade One.  The children would swing their legs on the gravel floor and make quite a dust. As Joy commented – “we were the ‘juvenile delinquents’ in those days”!

PALLINUP SCHOOL SPORTS TEAM  1936
Back Row L - R:  DOREEN FREEGARD, DORIS CHAMBERS, MONA  STEWART, JEAN DENNY, CHARLIE STEWART, GWEN CHAMBERS, FRANK BARNARD, TREVOR LLOYD-WOODS,
IRIS BAXTER, DOROTHY BARNARD
Middle Row L - R:   ERIC LAMBLEY, RON FREEGARD, BARRIE STEWART, BRUCE LLOYD-WOODS, PAT BARNARD. RUSSELL BAXTER, JOHN WHITE, NORMAN WHITE, MEG BARNARD,
JOYCE LAMBLEY, ROBERT COCKRAM, RUSSEL DENNY
Front Row L - R:  WILLIAM CHAMBERS (Suit with Cap), DONALD STEWART, IAN SIMPSON, DOREEN LAMBLEY, J WHITE, R LLOYD-WOODS

1937          Teacher   HERRON  Edward                 Head Teacher
                                 LAMLEY  Sarah                   Sewing Mistress

JOHN, JOY AND NANCY WHITE OFF TO SCHOOL
 

1938          Teacher   HARRISON  William               Head Teacher
                                HERBERT Marie                    Monitor on Probation
                                HERBERT Marie                    Sewing Mistress

PALLINUP SCHOOL SPORTS TEAM  1938
Back Row L - R:  NANCY WHITE, BERYL WRAY, JEAN DENNY, DES WRAY, FRANK BARNARD, CHARLIE STEWART, RON WOODS, RUSSEL DENNY, TREVOR WOODS,
DORIS CHAMBERS, MARY DENNY
Second Row L - R:   MAY BARNARD, GWENETH DREW, DOROTHY BARNARD, DOREEN FREEGARD,MONA STEWART (Holding Shield), IRIS BAXTER, PAT BARNARD, GWEN CHAMBERS, BARBARA CHAMBERS, JOYCE LAMBLEY
Third Row L - R:  BOB (Robert) COCKRAM, JIM HORNSEY, JOHN WHITE, BRUCE WOODS, ERIC LAMBLEY, RUSSELL BAXTER, JOHN NAZZARI?, STUART BLUNTICH?, IAN SIMPSON
Front Row L - R:  BILL NEWBY, GEORGE NEWBY, RON FREEGARD, DONALD STEWART, JOY WHITE, DOREEN LAMBLEY, BARRIE STEWART, BILL CHAMBERS

1939          Teacher   HARRISON  William               Head Teacher
                                 HERBERT  Marie                  M/P & Sewing Mistress
                                 LAMLEY  Sarah                   Sewing Mistress

1940          Teacher   HARRISON  William               Head Teacher
                                 LAMLEY  Sarah                   Sewing Mistress

1941          Teacher   JONES  Cyril                      Head Teacher on Supply
                                 DENNY Laura                     Sewing Mistress

1942          Teacher   McLEOD  Malcolm                Head Teacher
                                 GANNON  Elizabeth              Head Teacher on Supply
                                 JONES  Cyril                      Head Teacher on Supply

1943          Teacher   SHINER  Maisie                   Temporary Head Teacher on Supply
                                 McLEOD  Malcolm                Head Teacher
                                 SHINER Maisie                     Head Teacher on Supply

1944          Teacher   McLEOD  Malcolm                Head Teacher

1945          Teacher   McLEOD  Malcolm                Head Teacher
                                 RAYMOND  Edward             Temporary Head Teacher
                                  DENNY  Laura                   Sewing Mistress

1946          Teacher   RAYMOND  Edward             Head Teacher
                                 DENNY  Laura                   Sewing Mistress

1947          Teacher   HONEY  Harold                  Head Teacher

The Pallinup school buildings were relocated to the Gnowangerup school site at the time of consolidation in 1947.

In 1947 the advent of the ‘motorised omnibus’ made the small schools redundant, as the children could then be bussed in to a centralised location - Gnowangerup. Children from other schools such as Jackitup, Borden, Kwobrup and Nigalup found their schools closing and were bussed in to Gnowangerup. Mr Basil Harris made to school buses from truck bodies and painted names on them. There was “Miss Amelup” and in “Miss Gnowangerup”. Until the 1950s, aboriginal children were not admitted to the Gnowangerup school, and it wasn't until then that the mission school amalgamated with the Gnowangerup school, and the first aboriginal children began attending.

Richard ‘Dick’ Cockram made the plaques which marks the location of the school. Very few signs remain of this once busy site in 2011.

PLAQUES AT SITE OF PALLINUP SCHOOL

PLAQUES AT SITE OF PALLINUP SCHOOL MADE BY "DICK" CHAMBERS
 

JOY STEWART AND FAMILY VISIT PLAQUES AT SITE OF PALLINUP SCHOOL 1994