Glen Aplin State School in 1924
‘Things proceeded on an even keel at Glen Aplin for several years, and the enrolment reached twenty-five, but a rather small percentage attended.
Discipline slipped and later it was reported, “It has been painful to carry out the inspection, the garden once flourishing, is a wilderness, rabbits disruptive.”
Mr Adam Douglas must have been a gardener at heart, for in 1924 two long flower beds in front of the school were described as beautiful and ablaze with a mass of pink and white cosmos.
I wonder if this was the period of their high fashion, and their becoming naturalised so freely in the district.
At one stage the passenger train was accused of being so slow that travellers could alight and pluck cosmos beside the line during the journey.
Also in 1924, a tennis court was formed at the school, a sign of confidence – or was it a determination to quell rumours of the establishment of another school across the river?
The principle of providing board for a teacher in private homes still existed widely in Queensland and was official policy, except where there were large schools.
Either dissatisfaction with the accommodation, or with the guest, created numerous problems.
Those who took teachers were the families of Carmody, Commerford, Chas Smith and H.E. Lyons and of course others, not recorded.
The next big change took place when a small group of citizens, namely Messrs. J.B. Ferris, D.T. Walters, H. Stonebridge, J. Johnson, P. Lynam, Bert Mann and Joe Wise met at the Ferris home on 26th April 1926, to discuss a new and more centrally placed school.
Mr Ferris took the chair and Mr Joe Wise the secretaryship.
It was proposed that the new school should be halfway between the two operating schools and both the latter closed.
The next two meetings were to be held in the public hall and a request to have representation from the Mount Stirling school.
It was functioning harmoniously and they were reluctant to have it closed in favour of another, but finally agreed.
After deliberations, a move was made to purchase three acres (1½ hectares) of land across the river and portion of Mineral Section No. 705, property owned by the Reality Development Co. Efforts were made to have the purchase price of £50 ($100) reduced and finally the company accepted £36 ($72).
It was not until three years later, after numerous dances, socials and card evenings designed to raise money, and a request to the Department to meet some of the cost, that the final
payment of £5 ($10) was made.
The school had actually been functioning for six months, and a guarantor, Mr Ferris, had been necessary.
Owing to the slowness of the land transactions and necessary gazetting the school reserve No. 275, it was two and a half years after the initial meeting before the school was opened.’
The following is an excerpt from the 26 February 1924 edition of The Brisbane Courier, titled ‘Stanthorpe Fruit’:
‘The petition from fruit growers in the Stanthorpe district against the proposed regulations that all fruit, except grapes and tomatoes must be off the trees or out of cold stores by
April 7 has been overruled.
The Minuter for Agriculture (Mr Gillies) stated yesterday that after making full inquiries, he had decided to recommend to the Government that it should proceed with the new regulation as advocated unanimously by the Stanthorpe District Council of Agriculture.
The regulation, Mr Gillies said, was strongly recommended by the entomologist stationed in the district as a means of assisting in the eradication of the fruit flies.’
