'Bush schools' exhibition
8 April 2012
Discover the bush schools of the Hall district at a special Exhibition next weekend, April 14-15th, at Hall School. The School Museum will also be open.
Jeir, Nanama, Elizabeth Fields, Weetangera, Gungahleen, Mugwill, Gooda Creek, Brooklands, Toual...............In all, the stories of eighteen schools will be told in the exhibition - with official records, maps old and new, photos, letters and stories.
From around the 1870's, and particularly when education became compulsory a decade later, there was a small one-teacher bush school every five miles or so - two miles being judged the reasonable distance for children to walk.
In many cases descendants of those who fought for these schools to be set up are still living in the district, and quite a number of them have been helping with stories, photographs, and so on. We hope that many more will come to the Exhibition and be inspired to dig deeper in the family photo boxes!
The Exhibition will commemorate the indispensable contribution of Canberra historian and former pupil of Hall school, Lyall Gillespie. His work published as 'Early education and schools in the Canberra region' is the essential starting point for an exhibition such as this.
The exhibition will be launched by another Canberra historian, Jill Waterhouse,who knew Lyall, and wrote forewords to a number of his publications.
A number of former pupils, and others, will be leading 'chat sessions' over the weekend, and a number of related publications will be available for sale - including Lyall Gillespie's 'Early education and schools in the Canberra region'.
The launch will be at 10.00 am on Saturday 14th, which is also the opening time for the exhibition. It will be open 10 - 4 on Saturday and Sunday.
Entry is free, but donations will be welcomed. Disability access, coffee lounge, Exhibition also viewable on computers, 'chat sessions' with former pupils and others.
The Exhibition has been planned and produced by the 'Friends of Hall School Museum'. If you are interested in becoming a Friend you will be able to join at the Exhibition.