2011 marks the 100th anniversary of Allora State School opening on its Warwick Street site.
Formal schooling in Allora dates back to 1867 when students were taught by William Deacon in the rented premises of the Wesleyan Chapel in Herbert Street. Previous to that, from 1863, children were educated by Mrs James Gwynne under the patronage of the Church of England.
The local community were vigorous in their efforts to provide a permanent home for their school and by 1868 a schoolroom and teacher’s residence had been built on land in Herbert Street. The school site, over time, became too small, in spite of a number of extensions made to the building.
Cramped conditions and drainage problems at the Herbert Street site eventually led to the decision to move the school to the site on Warwick Street, which had been acquired some time earlier.
On June 9, 1910 the Minister approved the construction of a new school and residence, along with fencing, on the Warwick Street property. The new school was opened in June 1911 by Mr J D Story, Under Secretary for Education. The opening was celebrated with a Grand Picnic.
Come and join the current school community on November 5 for another Grand Picnic to mark 100 years of state school education on Warwick Street. For enquiries, contact the school on (07) 4666 7222 or robd.60@hotmail.com
Acknowledgement: Information for this article was taken from “Broad Horizons – The Story of Allora’s Schools” co-authored by Peter Doherty and Debbie Smith and published in 1992.
