INSPECTIONS AND REPORTS
TRANSCRIPTS
1874 school inspection report:
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3 June 1874
PINE RIVER NORTH (PROVISIONAL)
Inspected 3rd June
On roll: – Boys, 9; girls, 10; total, 19. Present: – Boys, 7; girls, 7; total 14
The apartment used as a school is a weather-board structure, shingled, and floored with sawn wood; well ventilated, with verandah facing the west; walls dark and gloomy; used as a place of worship occasionally by the Anglican communion. The furniture was found to be limited to six forms, a small table and a stool; there were no desks, no clock, no blackboard, and not even a shelf for the school material. The furniture was wholly inadequate to even the crudest form of instruction – to write on paper the children kneel on the floor and support their copy books on the forms. The supply of material for teaching the children granted by the Board was found to be abundant. The school records were found to be very imperfectly kept, through ignorance of the proper method of keeping them, and there was no time-table. The school-room was very dirty. The children were docile and their relations with their teacher genial; they were wholly unacquainted with any form of drill or orderly movement. The school was opened in April, and up to the time of inspection the attendance has been regular, the aggregate being 20. The teacher is an intelligent and liberally educated man, but wholly unacquainted with the methods of modern school keeping. His earnestness combined with his intelligence gives promise of a better state of things at next inspection. This school stands on the south side of the Pine River, within a quarter of a mile of the ford, and it is proposed to conduct it as a half-time school, in conjunction with a school on the north side of the river.
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1875 school inspection report:
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18 & 19 August 1875
An inspector visited both half-time schools in August 1875 and completed reports on both.
NORTH PINE I. (PROVISIONAL).
Inspected 18 and 19 August.
Enrolled, 20; 9 boys and 11 girls. Present, 16; 7 boys and 9 girls.
The school is a weather board structure on the south side of the river, leased by the teacher along with the adjoining residence and premises and the farm on which they stand. The material organization is fairly satisfactory in the circumstances. The school has been open since April, 1874, and has been inspected once previously. The school hours are from half-past 8 to half-past 12, the teacher working in a school on the north side of the river during the afternoon. The teacher is earnest and not deficient in intelligence, but time and labour have been lost by excessive subdivision of classes. Allowing for the circumstances and class of school, moderate proficiency has been reached and progress has been made.
NORTH PINE II. (PROVISIONAL).
Inspected 18 and 19 August.
Enrolled, 14; 10 boys and 4 girls. Present 13; 9 boys and 4 girls.
This school is a new, neat slab building, erected by the inhabitants on a reserve on the north side of the river. It is very fairly furnished and provided with teaching material. This is the companion school to that on the south bank, and is conducted in the
afternoon by the same teacher, the school hours being from 2 to half-past 4, and often longer. The administration is much the same as in the other school, and displays the same prominent defect of excessive subdivision for the classes, especially of the first class. The attainments are very low, but the pupils have made some progress in the elements of the primary subjects. This school and its companion are the only half-time schools yet established in the Moreton district. In so far, therefore, they are an experiment. It will, however, take a longer time than they have yet existed to show whether such schools are likely to prove successful, and should, in certain circumstances, be supplied easily and cheaply, and no complaints are made of either the quantity or the quality of the instruction imparted.[/reveal]
1876 annual school inspection report:
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11 August 1876
NORTH PINE RIVER, No. I (PROVISIONAL HALF-TIME)
Inspected 11th August.
On roll: – Boys, 10; girls, 4; total, 14. Present: – Boys, 5; girls, 2; total, 7.
The school room is a new and substantial slab building, sufficiently furnished except that there is no outhouse and no press for books. The teaching material is deficient as regards slates, reading books, and reading tablets. Order and discipline pretty good, but tone too shy. Organization good for a school of this class. Proficiency fair. Progress satisfactory.
NORTH PINE RIVER, No. II (PROVISIONAL HALF-TIME)
Inspected 11th August
On roll: – Boys, 12; girls, 4; total, 16. Present: – Boys, 9; girls, 4; total, 13. This school is on the north bank of the river, and is open in the afternoon; the other is a little distance from the south bank of the river, and is taught in the forenoon. The building is of slabs, furnished with a sufficiency of desks and forms, and having a blackboard, but clock, press, and outhouse are wanting. Slates are scarce, and a ballframe is required. The tone of the children is more pleasant than obtains in the companion school. Too many classes have been made. The proficiency and progress are scarcely so notable as in the other school, but this may well be accounted for by the fact that the afternoon school time shorter than the forenoon time.
Source: Moreton Bay Regional Council Local History Library, Strathpine
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1876 special school inspection report for the new south side building:
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21 August 1876
183
Special Report on the Premises of the North Pine River (No. I) Provisional Halftime School
The site is 1 rood of the S.E. corner Portion 39 Parish of Warner County of Stanley, and is leased by the Committee for 10 years. The building is only two months old. It measures 25 ft x 14. Substantial and neat slab walls. Pine floor. Storey guard sleepers and wall plates. Sapling rafters and tie beams. Sawn pine bottoms. Ironbark shingles. Don of pine flooring beams. Windows of 9 panes each, swinging vertically on firsts 15(?) are too weak – Water is handy – There is no fencing. The subjoined Plan will sufficiently indicate the quantity and arrangement of the furniture, most, if not all, of which was used in the old school recently quitted a room of W. Jonas’ farm buildings – and may be deemed satisfactory as to supply and quality. No [???]. No [???].
The Under Secretary
Department of Public Instruction
D. Ewart
21/8/76
Source: Moreton Bay Regional Council Local History Library, Strathpine
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1876 special school inspection report for the north side building:
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21 August 1876
183 ½
Special Report on the Premises of the North Pine River (No. II) Provisional Halftime School
The site is between Portions 28 & 32 Parish of Redcliffe, County of Stanley. The triangular reserve between these portions is bisected by the northern road after it crosses the N. Pine River: on the W of the road is the Police Station and in the S.E. corner of the part of the reserve on the E. side of the road stands the school. The ground is not fenced except by the S.W. boundary fence – a paling fence – of Portion 28. The building is 20 ft x 14. Slab walls. Floor of iron bark flooring boards. Roof frame saplings shingled with iron bark shingles. Windows have 6 panes each. Joints of walls, door and floor rather open. Two very fair 10 ft desks and forms. Nails for hats inside the wall on each side of the door. A shelf on the end wall opposite the door and a small corner shelf. Blackboard of fair size supports against wall. Table (3 ft x 1 ½) and chair. No clock, press, or closets.
The Under Secretary
Department of Public Instruction
D. Ewart
21/8/76
Source: Moreton Bay Regional Council Local History Library, Strathpine
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1877 school inspection report:
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17 April and 20 September 1877
NORTH PINE RIVER – SOUTH SIDE. (HALF-TIME PROVISIONAL).
Inspected 17th April and 20th September
First inspection: – On roll – Boys, 14; girls, 13; total, 27. Present – Boys, 7; girls, 8; total, 15.
Second inspection: – On roll – Boys, 18; girls, 12; total, 25. Present – Boys, 18; girls, 11; total, 20.
During the year the committee erected the necessary out-house, but a book-press is still wanting, and the supply of desks and forms is barely sufficient for the number of children. In other respects the material appliances are good.
The attendance (forenoon only) was moderate as to regularity; the quality of the results in reading, writing, and arithmetic, was between moderate and fair, and the quantity of work done was satisfactory. Order was very fair; the discipline was so far effective as to promote industry in school; fair progress was made between inspections, and the general condition of the school was satisfactory.
NORTH PINE RIVER – NORTH SIDE (HALF-TIME PROVISIONAL)
Inspected 17th April and 19th September.
First inspection: – On roll – Boys, 18; girls, 8; total, 26. Present – Boys, 17; girls, 7; total 24.
Second inspection: – On roll – Boys, 22; girls, 13; total, 35. Present – Boys, 18; girls, 11; total, 29.
Since the opening of the bridge over the North Pine River, many of the children attending the forenoon school on the south side come over in the afternoon; consequently, the room is crowded, and the accommodation in every way insufficient. Soon after the second inspection, tenders were called for building a State school.
The attendance (afternoon only) was fair in quality; the results were fair in quality and in
quantity satisfactory ; order was good ; the discipline was such as to promote earnest industry, but it failed to produce perfect honesty under examination in the desk work ; the progress made between inspections was good, and the general condition of the school was satisfactory.
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1878 school inspection report for the north bank schoolhouse:
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28 October 1878
PINE RIVER NORTH
Inspected 28th October
On roll, 27: 15 boys and 12 girls. Present, 18: 12 boys and 6 girls.
This school is on the north side of the river, and is the companion half-time school to the one on the south side: this one is open in the afternoon and the other in the forenoon. The premises are unchanged since last inspection. Building and furniture may be considered satisfactory. Closet is wanting. Slates and third books are deficient in supply. The attendance is very fair in quantity and quite punctual but only indifferently regular. The general administration of the school resembles that of its companion, but in this one the tone is more open and lively and the proficiency somewhat higher.
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1879 special school inspection report for the new State School on the north side of the Pine River:
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28 April 1879
[INCLUDING] Plan of Site and Buildings [see Image].
Site
30 A Parish of Redcliffe, County Stanley being a rectangular piece having 2 chains frontage Whiteside Road and 10 chains in-depth giving an area of 2 acres. It is the upper portion of the paddock attached to North Pine Hotel known as Petrie’s Paddock. The site is in every way suitable but it is not large enough.
School
Hard Wood floors and Verandahs [sic], Hard Wood weatherboard, Hard Wood shingles. Roof lined diagonally with Pine, pine gallery and furniture, spouts and, two tanks. Stands very high from ground at back. Verandahs [sic] (back) railed.
Dwelling
Four cornered cottage with detached kitchen. Hard Wood floor, weather boards and shingles, no lining or ceiling, pine partitions.
Closets
Three, Hard Wood with pine seats and urinal to boys’ closet.
The buildings were erected in the latter part of 1877 and are well finished in all respects.
Signed District Inspector 21.7.79[/reveal]
