Tharwa Primary School

Primary school in Australia
35°30′32″S 149°04′04″E / 35.508756°S 149.067784°E / -35.508756; 149.067784InformationTypePrimary schoolEstablished1899 (1899)Closed2006 (2006)Websitewww.tharwaps.act.edu.au (inactive)

Tharwa Primary School was a primary school in the small village of Tharwa, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. It was built in 1898 and opened in 1899.[1] The school had two classrooms for the primary school, plus a preschool room. While the current school dates from 1912,[2] the site of the school made it the oldest operating school in Canberra until its closure in 2006. The first Parents and Citizens committee was established in 1931.[3]

The first pupil enrolled on 9 August 1899 and the centenary of this event was celebrated by a town ball and the launching a book A Century of Learning: Tharwa Primary School by historian Matthew Higgins.[4] At that time the school only operated on a part-time basis.[5]

In 2006 the government announced it would close Tharwa Primary School by the end of December 2006.[6] An attempt was made to open a private school on the site, but the proposal was thwarted by new restrictions on private schools, enacted by the Legislative Assembly in December 2006.[7] Community attempts to save or reopen the school continued, with the last blog post on the dedicated campaign site being posted in September 2007.[8]

The Tharwa Preschool is still operating. The school and the surrounding community traditionally host an annual Tharwa Bush Fair.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Caldwell, Brian, Re-imagining educational leadership, ACER press, Camberwell, Victoria, Australia, page 98
  2. ^ Exploring the ACT and South East NSW, J Kay Donald, Kangaroo Press, 1985, p48
  3. ^ "Tharwa News", The Canberra Times, 12 March 1931, p3
  4. ^ Senator Kate Ellis, House of Representatives Hansard, 9 August 1999 Archived 12 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ '"The Tharwa Schools," The Queanbeyan Age, 28 October 1899, p2
  6. ^ Barr, Andrew, Minister for Education and Training, ACT Legislative Assembly, notice dated 13 December 2006 Archived 2 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ ABC Canberra, 16 December 2006
  8. ^ savetharwaschool.com Archived 28 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ ABC Canberra, 25 October 2009 Archived 15 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

  • Higgins, Matthew, A Century of Learning: Tharwa Primary School 1899-1999, published by Tharwa Primary School, 1999 ISBN 0-646-37705-1
  • Official website (archive)
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