School name: Merrendee
Other name: * Merendee until 1865
County name: Wellington
Transferred:
Location note:
URL for linking: https://nswgovschoolhistory.cese.nsw.gov.au/schoolHistory?schoolId=5172
Operating dates:
Type of school Opening date Closing date Half-time partner schools
Public School Aug 1859 Dec 1861
Public School 1864 1866
Provisional School 1868 1869
Provisional School Jun 1873 Nov 1879
Public School May 1882 Sep 1923
Half-Time School Sep 1923 Apr 1924 MUDGEE RIVER
Provisional School Apr 1924 Apr 19251
1894
25 June 1894 John W Cassidy was instructed to act as Teacher at Merendee Public X2 .
1905
5 January 1905
Dilapidated School
Merrendee Public School.
It having been brought under the notice of the member for the district that Merrendee school building required the repairer, Mr. Richards interviewed the Acting Under-Secretary for Instruction, and was informed that an expenditure would shortly be made on the dilapidated place. When passing through Merrendee during the election period Mr. Richards' attention was directed to the broken windows, and the evidences of discomfort that in winter time must be the lot of the children and the teacher and his family. If the retrenchment poodle has not run mad, there is good reason to hope that Mr Inspector Reay is likely to have word to let out the necessary work3
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5 February 1905 J Cassidy, Merrendee, member Public Service Association4 .
26 June 1905
A School Change.
Mr. Dunn, who has been in charge of the school at the Bayly Cross Roads, has received an intimation that he is to take charge of Merrendee school after the present holidays. We have not heard to what school Mr. Jack Cassidy has been transferred. It is not yet publicly known whether Botobolar school will be opened again, and therefore Mr. P. G. Ryan's movements are not known5
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9 October 1905 John W Cassidy instructed to act as Teacher at Ilford6 .
1921
31 January 1921
Q.C. Examinations.
MUDGEE AND DISTRICT RESULTS.
The following are the Mudgee and district passes at the Q.C. examinations, success at which Qualifies for entrance at the High Schools: -
Merrendee Public School - Hazel Dulcie McCallum7
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1922
16 November 1922
MERRENDEE SCHOOL TEACHER.
Mr. John Daniels, of Gosper Downs Primary School, has been transferred to Merrendee, and Mr. Everard Williams from Eschol to Turondale8
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1927
6 October 1927
"Come Out Bill!"
THE MERRENDEE SCHOOL.
MISERABLE, MISLEADING STATEMENT.
(To the Editor).
Will you kindly permit me space to deal with a miserable, misleading statement that appeared in the Guardian, 26/9/27, over the nom-de-plume, 'Bill,' in which he undertakes to describe the Merrendee school. Now I take it that this was directed to belittle my attack on Mr. Dunn at the conclusion of his address in the above school, when he boasted a big surplus in the Education Department. My question to Mr. Dunn was why, with this big surplus at hand, his Government had not made some better provision for the education of children in small country schools, such as the Merrendee school, by way of expending an equal amount to that expended per child on the children of the city. Mr. Dunn referred to the rules governing subsidised schools. These rules, I argued, have been in existence too long, and with all the changes of government we have had it is high time some of them have designed some more acceptable rule to give the bush children the attention they are entitled to. I also asked Mr. Dunn if he considered seventy pounds per year a fair wage for the young man at present teaching the Merrendee school in comparison with the present wage for ordinary work. Mr. Dunn said he would see if anything could be done for these schools as soon as he went to Sydney, which, I consider, was admitting that my questions were justified. Referring to the letter in which Bill states the Merrendee school is only a subsidised one on which the Department cannot spend money, and the attendance is four children. Let me tell Bill the number of children attending Merrendee school is twelve, namely, two from Mr. R. Endacott's, one from Mr. W. Blanes, three from Mrs. Mobbs's, two from Mr. V. Dennis's, three from Mr. C. Williams's, and one from Mr. Bartley's. This school has been run as a subsidised school for about twelve months, prior to which it was run as a provisional school, and I now ask Bill what money the Government spent on it under that heading in the term of Mr. Watt, and Mr. Tolhurst considering the deplorable condition the school was in at that time, and Mr. Dunn representing us all the time, and being a former teacher in this old landmark. No, Bill, quote a bit nearer to facts, and do not try to deprive little children of their right of education, which they are honestly entitled to, and come out in the open. Don't stand behind the screen to throw stones at our returned soldier, he is a cripple from the front rank and should have the admiration of all true Australians.
A. R. GOSPER.
'Ossory,' Yarrabin, via Mudgee 3/10/279
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8 December 1927
District Schools
MR. DUNN INVESTIGATES MINISTER'S STATEMENT
Mr. W. F. Dunn, M.L.A., has received the following communication from the Minister for Education, Mr. D. H. Drummond. M.L.A. :
I have your letter of the 22nd. inst. relative to certain school matters in your electorate. The schools concerned are Merrendee, Eurunderie, Bulbudgerie (Wuuluman) and Beryl. With reference to Merrendee, I find that school has been closed since April 1925, although you state that a subsidised school is at present being conducted at that centre, it is not known under that name. However, inquiries are being made into the present situation at Merrendee with a view to ascertaining what the prospects may be for the re-opening of the school in charge of a Departmental teacher, and I am now waiting the receipt of the Inspector's report thereon. The position at Eurunderie has been clarified. The local Inspector had a lengthy interview with Mr. G. H. Murphy - who was the principal correspondent in connection with school matters at that centre, as a result of which Mr. Murphy has expressed the view that the establishment of a subsidised school will meet the case of the small children very well. The older children drive to Mudgee, where better educational facilities are available than would be the case if the local school were reopened. The position at Bulbudgerie is not so favorable. The teacher was removed from the school during the week ending October 21, the enrolment having fallen to ten and the average attendance to 8.6. During the second week of October the average attendance was only 7.4. The matter is at present with the local Inspector of Schools for inquiry, and in the light of his report when received, I shall be able to inform you definitely of the prospects for re-opening the school. The matter of repairs to the Beryl school residence will form the subject of a separate communication10
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