DAYBORO DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC – EST. 2004
On Sunday 14th September 2008, the Dayboro District Historical Society Inc. hosted a day at the Dayboro Memorial Showgrounds for people aged 75 and over who went to any of the schools in the Dayboro district.
(See our PHOTO GALLERY for ‘School Photos’ of the day . . . SOON.)
Although DayboroStateSchool is the only school remaining in the district, there were, in fact, 8 other schools at various times, most of them being one teacher schools.
Terrors Creek Provisional School No. 191 was the first to open on 18th May 1874, in a barn on Haagen Raaen’s farm and the school was unofficially referred to as “Raaen’s School”. 16 children attended on the first day and a total of 27 children were enrolled at the school in its first year. In November 1876, Haagen Raaen gave three months notice to the committee that he required the use of his barn for farming purposes. During 1877, a neat and substantial school room was built on land donated by William Henry Day approximately half a mile (nearly 1 klm) from the old site. The school was situated on the top of a hill which overlooked Terrors Creek and the NorthPineRiver valley. On 1867 survey maps, this area was shown as Hellhole and this new school became known unofficially as “HellholeSchool”. This school would have been about 1½ miles (nearly 3 klm) from the township.
In 1917, the name of the town was changed from Terrors Creek to Dayboro and in 1920 a new school was built on a site in the township. That building still forms part of the DayboroStateSchool today.
The other schools were:
1880-1942 Upper North Pine School
1880-1960 Forbes Creek School
1898-1963 Laceys Creek School
1900-1919 Armstrong Creek School
1905-1964 Mt. Pleasant School
1910-1936 Mayfield School
1922-1963 Ocean View School
1934-1937 Mt. Pleasant BananaSettlementSchool
There were 61 people aged 75 and over who were able to attend, with the number swelling to 118 with spouses and family and members of our Society.
The youngest was 75 only a month ago and the oldest was Foster Storey who turned 100 in December last year. Foster Storey at one stage attended the ArmstrongCreekSchool which closed in 1919. There were also 5 others who have reached their 90s. Thelma Ackland (nee Long) travelled all the way from Queenbeyan to be present and said that she would not have missed it. Others came from as far away as Stanthorpe, Dalby and Toowoomba. There were 6 Heathwoods, 5 Bonds and 4 Williams present as well as many others who are descended from the early pioneering families of the district. The 4 Williams “children” are the family of Amos and Eleanor Vera Williams – Eleanor Beryl Kenman (nee Williams) born 6th July 1922, Doris Lily Nutley (nee Williams) born 6th December 1924, Howard Francis Williams born 16th January 1926 and Mervyn Arthur Williams born 21st September 1927. They were the only family where all the siblings were present. 4 of the Bonds were the family of Percy Frederick Bond and Amy Taylor – Peggy, Maureen (Molly), George and Eileen – however their older brother Jack was unable to attend. Although their younger brother Bob (my husband) was there he has not yet attained the age of 75 so did not qualify in the count.
The Roll was called by Glynnis Gartside, the current Principal of Dayboro State School, and the school bell was rung for the lunch break.
A lot of time was spent in looking at the school rolls and studying the photographs on display in an endeavour to name the children in them. Society members were kept busy taking notes.
The day was made possible in part by a Community Assistance Grant from the Moreton Bay Regional Council towards the cost of building hire, printing invitations and photographs etc., and the Dayboro District Historical Society also provided morning tea and lunch for all of those who attended. Thanks also go to the Lions Club of Dayboro for the use of their P.A. system.
Carmel Bond, President
Phone: 3425 1717 (home) or 3425 2032 “Dayboro Cottage”
