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Mitcham Primary School

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Mitcham Primary School is a South Australian State school serving the Mitcham area and situated on Hillview Road, Kingswood. It is the oldest continuously operating school in South Australia.[1][2] It has an enrolment of approximately 600 students from Reception to Year 7 and an Out of School Hours Care Program. The school predominantly serves the suburbs of Kingswood, Mitcham, Hawthorn, Netherby and Torrens Park. The school opened in 1847 with Thomas Mugg [3] as the teacher [4] in a hut on Mitcham Reserve. The school moved to the Mitcham Institute in 1870 [5] and then to a purpose built school on Bulls Creek Road (Belair Road) in 1880. A new Primary school opened on the current site in Kingswood in 1953 and the Infant school and Primary came together on this site in 1981.[6]

History

South Australia was first settled by colonists from Britain in 1836 and by the late '40s Adelaide was a thriving community, with Mitcham being a significant village a few miles to the south. A combined Chapel/School building was erected, paid for by subscription of local families, and opened as a school in 1847[7] with the teacher Mr Thomas Mugg who had been a cabinet maker in London. As attendance steadily increased the classroom became very crowded. Mt Mugg continued as the teacher to 1868 teaching a very basic curriculum and enforcing strict discipline with regular use of a cane.[8]

Growth

Mitcham Institute,

At this time the community of South Australia was struggling with the problem of how to manage and extend public education in the colony. The Central Board of Education heard complaints about the quality of teachers in a community run schools. Of 290 teachers supervised by the Board in 1875 only 135 were certificated as teachers.[9] In 1875 the South Australian parliament passed the Education Act,[10] establishing a public school system. All licensed schools such as Mitcham became Public Schools. The Act made schooling compulsory for children from 7 to 13 years (but not full-time).[11]

The crowded conditions continued to 1880 when a new purpose built school was opened on Bulls Creek Road (now Belair Road). Three years later the Mitcham Railway Station was opened next to the school on the new Adelaide-Aldgate line, creating with the school, a new centre of the Mitcham community. The close proximity of the school to the main Adelaide-Melbourne railway line entertained generations of children but severely restricted the expansion of the school grounds. The school continued to grow and enrolment was approximately 200 in 1900 and 200 by 1930.[12]

In 2013 the Junior Primary and Primary schools were consolidated under one principal.

Old Mitcham Primary School

Head Masters/Principals

Primary School Years Title
Thomas Mugg 1847–1867 Teacher
William Anderson 1867–1868 "
Charles Webb 1868–1878 "
Paul Mueller 1878–1891 Head Teacher
Fred Kruger 1892–1899 "
James Fowler 1900–1905 "
Josiah Willmott 1905–1918 "
Isaac Jacobs 1918–1927 "
Robert Alexander 1927-1828 "
Walter Huntley 1928–1930
Dennis Murphy 1931 "
Henry Hudson 1932 "
Charles Pearson 1932–1936 "
Roy Devonshire 1937–1944 "
Primary School Years Title Infant/Junior Primary Years Title
Don Charmichael 1945–1950 Head Master Rosina Naughton 1948–1950 Infant Mistress
Edgar Sexton 1950–1951 Head Master
John Blizard 1951–1952 " Irene Harmer 1950–1955 "
Herbert Townsend 1952–1955 " Elizabeth Eardley 1956–1957 "
Francis Hussey 1956–1957 " Una Macdonald 1957–1958 "
Raymond Koehne 1958 " "
Garry Habich 1959–1966 Master of Method Monica Naylor 1958–1966 "
Alick Smith 1966–1974 " Rita Atkinson 1966–1970 "
Rex Hosking 1975 " Margaret Tscharke 1972 "
Ross Carthew 1976–1980 Principal Judith Smith 1972–1976 Principal
Anthony Earle 1981 Acting Princ. Polly Graetz 1976 "
Denis Vance 1982–1985 Principal Virginia Watts 1977–1985 "
Gerald White 1986–1990 " Daphne Liebelt 1986–1987 "
John Travers 1991–1998 " Patricia Cosh 1988–2003 "
Rod Tyney 1998–1999 Acting Princ. Gaye Glade-Wright 2004–2008 "
Steve Adams 1999–2010 Principal Suzie Sangster 2009–2012 "
Maryanne Tiller 2011–2012 " Jodie Kingham 2012 "
Primary School Years Title
Maryanne Tiller 2013– .... Principal

Notable students

Name Years attended Notes
Thomas Playford II 1847–... One of the first students at the school, later became a farmer, member of parliament and Premier of South Australia, whose father, Thomas Playford I, was one of the founders of the school. His grandson Thomas Thomas Playford IV was also Premier of South Australia from 1938 to 1965 – the longest serving Premier.
Julia Gillard 1967–1973 Prime Minister of Australia from 2010–2013, and Australia's first woman Prime Minister. Ms Gillard continued her education at Unley High School.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ "No BER problems at Julia's primary school". Jodie Minus. The Australian. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  2. ^ Cornwall.C. ‘’Mitcham School 150 Years of History: 1847–1997. Griffin Press, 1997, p. ix.
  3. ^ Mitcham Chronology retrieved 6 March 2014
  4. ^ Cornwall.C. ‘’Mitcham School 150 Years of History: 1847–1997. Griffin Press Press, 1997, p. 7.
  5. ^ Cornwall.C. ‘’Mitcham School 150 Years of History: 1847–1997. Griffin Press Press, 1997, p. xiv.
  6. ^ Cornwall.C. ‘’Mitcham School 150 Years of History: 1847–1997. Griffin Press Press, 1997, p. xv.
  7. ^ Cornwall.C. ‘’Mitcham School 150 Years of History: 1847–1997. Griffin Press Press, 1997, p. 6.
  8. ^ Cornwall.C. ‘’Mitcham School 150 Years of History: 1847–1997. Griffin Press Press, 1997, p. 8.
  9. ^ Thiele, C. ‘’Grains of Mustard Seed. Education Department of South Australia, 1975, Griffin Press, p.3.
  10. ^ Education Act 1875 retrieved 1 February 2014
  11. ^ samemory.sa.gov.au retrieved 3 February 2014
  12. ^ Cornwall.C. ‘’Mitcham School 150 Years of History: 1847–1997. Griffin Press Press, 1997, p. 201.
  13. ^ "Prime Minister Julia Gillard visits Mitcham Primary, recalls 'happiest days of her life'". www.news.com.au/. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  14. ^ "AUSTRALIA'S PRIME MINISTERS Julia Gillard". primeministers.naa.gov.au. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
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