Wollar School

Other name: * Wollar Creek in 1873

County name: Phillip
Transferred:
Location note:
URL for linking: https://nswgovschoolhistory.cese.nsw.gov.au/schoolHistory?schoolId=8548
Operating dates:
Type of school Opening date Closing date
Provisional School 1873 Jun 1881
Public School Jun 1881 Open1

Wollar School has closed.

1879

1880 Teacher Appointed

On 21 September 1880 Miss Esther Finn was appointed teacher at Wollar School2 .
.

1901 Teacher Transferred

On 23 August 1901 teacher Mr Wm Martin was transferred from Wollar School to Alexandria Public as temporary assistant3 ..

1903

23 April 1903
A New School Building at Wollar.
Mr. J. C. L. Fitzpatrick, M.L. A., has been informed that a new school building is to be erected at Wollar, and that the matter is now in the hands of the Government architect4 .

1905

5 February 1905
Mr A King, Wollar, member Public Service Association5 .

1914

29 January 1914
Qualifying Certificates.
Results of December Examinations
Names of Successful District Candidates.
We print today a list of the successful candidates who sat for the qualifying certificate examination in this and adjoining districts. All the candidates took the same examination papers as the city boys and girls. Under the Bursaries Endowment Act., the bursaries allotted by the board are divided in the ratio of school population. This works out, so that one-third of the Bursaries are given to candidates from Sydney and suburbs, and two-thirds of the bursaries go to the country districts. These bursaries and scholarships are tenable at the country high schools or the district schools, but the names of the successful bursars and scholars will not be available until next week.
MUDGEE DISTRICT.
Wollar - Roy Lennox6 .

1917

8 February 1917
The Wollar School.
Mr. Conroy, from head quarters, has succeeded Mr. Gobert as headmaster, of the Wollar Public School. Mr. Gobert, who was very popular, and whose removal is greatly regret ted, has gone to the New England district, to a school not many miles from Tamworth. Mrs. Gobert and family, for the present, remain, at Wollar. When Mr. Gobert visits Wollar to take them to their new home, he will be entertained by his friends and made the recipient of a presentation7 .

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: -
Wollar Public School - Margaret Fitzpatrick, William Fraser Single, Francis Edward Hyland, Mary Elizabeth Riley8 .

1922

30 January 1922
Qualifying Certificate Examinations.
MUDGEE DISTRICT.
The following conclude the list of passes:-
Wollar - Christopher E. Marskell, Margaret Eileen O'Brien, Linda Mary O'Brien, Irene Kathleen Riley, Vincent Patrick Robinson, Christopher Charles Robinson9 .

1938

23 June 1938
TRANSFERS OF TEACHERS.
Mr. S. P. Moy, who, for many years past, has been teacher at the Beryl public school, has been appointed teacher at Park Lea, near Blacktown. Mr S. V. Gallagher, teacher at Wollar school has been appointed teacher at Beryl, while Mr. Frank Beck, teacher at Ulamambri, has been appointed to Wollar. Mr. Gallagher will take up duties at Beryl on 29th June10 .

2018

21 December 2018
Wollar Public School says final goodbye
That is the word spoken most when people describe their feelings about the end of Wollar Public School, an institution that has taught generations of students in the area for 92 years.

The school has been put into what the Department of Education DET calls 'recess' for 2019.

When a school is in recess it hasn't been completely closed but the principal is withdrawn and its future and feasibility is investigated.

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If this process sounds familiar, it's because these events are similar to those that led to the closing down of Bylong Public School in 2015 and some are worried Wollar Public School will ultimately suffer the same fate.

The Mudgee Guardian contacted the DET on November 22 about the recess.

"The NSW Department of Education is considering the future educational provision at Wollar Public School. The department is considering placing the school into recess in 2019 due to a lack of enrolment demand, with only one potential enrolment for 2019."

"No formal decision has been made by the department. The school buildings and grounds will be maintained while it is in recess," a department spokesperson said.

The Mudgee Guardian again clarified with the DET on the future of the school on December 13 and they confirmed that this was still the position of the department.

However, an email obtained by the Mudgee Guardian between several DET staff members paints a different picture of the school's fate.

'The Issue is its sic recess until after election then it will close. So at present we are just saying recess.'

Regardless of the conflicting statements by the DET, Wollar Public School had its final student day on Wednesday

Speaking off the record, some residents claim that families are being driven out by high rental prices brought on by the purchase of land and dozens of homes in the Wollar area by Peabody, owners of Wilpinjong mine, with few homes left in private hands.

Some also claim that FIFO Fly in, fly out workers are being given preference when seeking rental accommodation and one family claiming they were driven out by increasing rental prices at the time of lease renewal.

The Mudgee Guardian reached out to Peabody to verify these claims, and a company spokesperson responded: "Peabody uses a rental agency to manage the properties it owns in Wollar. If there was a house available for rent, the applicant would be considered by the agent against their criteria," they said.

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"There is no truth to the statement that Peabody significantly increased rental charges to a family leasing a property back from the mine."

When asked about the recess, Peabody said it has been a significant supporter of the school.

"Peabody has continued to provide local residents the option to sell their properties and relocate when willing. In all cases, vendors have entered into the sale voluntarily and Peabody has paid above market value. Some of these properties are now being leased to their original owners, other Wollar community members and mine employees," a spokesperson said.

"Peabody has been a strong supporter of the Wollar Public School maintaining regular contact with its teaching staff to understand what assistance is required. This support has included providing a vegetable garden, covered play area, sand pit, outdoor furniture, water infrastructure, Aboriginal cultural lessons, bushfire safety improvements, and involvement in significant school events and awards ceremonies."

"On 13 August, Peabody was advised by the Department of Education that operations at Wollar Public School would be temporarily suspended in 2019 due to lack of enrolments. Peabody understands that while there are families with primary school aged children living in Wollar, their parents choose to send them to other regional schools at their discretion."

"Peabody is proud to support the local communities of the Mid‐Western Region through more than 500 jobs and approximately $600 million in direct and indirect economic benefits to New South Wales per annum."

Col Faulkner has been coming to presentations at Wollar Public School for three decades. He told the Mudgee Guardian that without the school, Wollar has lost one of its social hubs.

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"Well it was the social hub of the village for a long time, the progress association was very active we had a few dances, a few barbecues each year. My kid went here when he was growing up and I was treasurer for ten years, it was just the right thing to do for the local neighbourhood," he said.

"It was always part of the social scene and it's interesting to see the different kids growing up and passing through the school as well, see how they got on."

Former reliving Principal at Wollar Public School, Kay Bushnell spoke to the Mudgee Guardian about what the closure means for the Wollar community and the region as a whole.

"The small schools are generally under the umbrella of possible closure due to student numbers," Kay said.

"Great assurance has been given by the DET that if there was adequate student numbers the school could be reopened. We had to label everything that the school owned so that if the school was to reopen we would be able to get back the equipment and things."

Kay also agrees that Wollar Public School was one of the last social hubs of the Wollar community.

"The last vestige of identity has gone with the school going into recess. Now the school is not there, now the community has none of the other things that they had. No tennis club, the cricket team, Christmas parties. All the things that small communities have, that the school used to be involved in is no longer."

One of the unique aspects of the school was their unofficial animal mascot, Charlie. Charlie is a dog that spends her days among the students, often sleeping in the classroom or among the children when they're reading and even offering emotional support during trying times.

"I think it can only work in a small school," Kay said. "These particular children were all in tune with animals, they were respectful to the dog as well as enjoying her company. We had one lovely photograph with a little girl asleep next to Charlie."

Reflecting on the positive impact the small school has had on its students, Kay shares one parent's story.

"We only had one student sitting for the NAPLAN, I had that parent ring and thanked me for his child's results - of course I'd only worked with this student for a year, he'd started long before me - but the fact that he got solid education at school and achieved very well in NAPLAN, his father was so chuffed."

"The children all got a solid primary education and they were advantaged in the small environment and our former students will perform well no matter where they go."

"I think the loss of the Wollar Public School is a great loss for education, and it's a loss for the valley and the potential for small school education for children in the area."

CREDIT: Benjamin Palmer11

References