By Dominique Tassell
Warwick East Primary School has been undergoing work to improve the condition of its historic building and preserve its use for the future.
We spoke with a spokesperson for the Department of Education to find out more about the project.
The school was established in 1850 as the Warwick National School and is considered to be Queensland’s first state school.
The school site formed part of the first survey of Warwick and was chosen for its then proximity to the town centre (which later moved further west).
Block C (the former Warwick National School) is the second school building erected on the site in 1864.
Designed by architect Benjamin Backhouse, it is one of the oldest surviving school buildings in the state.
The passage of time and numerous floods have made the repair works necessary. The project has a strong focus on preserving the significant building fabric and heritage values of the site.
The spokesperson for the Department of Education stated that, on this basis, the works were approved as an exemption certificate with conditions under section 74 of the Queensland Heritage Act 1992.
“These repair works will remove the intrusive building finishes/materials, replace the deteriorating fabric and conserve the significant heritage features of the building,” they stated.
Due to the differential movement of the deep reactive clay soils under the stone foundation, the building has experienced substantial cracking. This problem has been addressed by proposing an internal concrete raft slab to underpin the sandstone footings of the building, resist differential building movement and support the new internal timber floor.
The building works also included the repair, reinforcement and protection of brick walls following the removal of plastic paint, salt extraction and repointing with lime mortar.
Severely damaged bricks were replaced with new, like-for-like bricks from a local source and the walls were painted inside and out with breathable mineral paint.
Repairs also included making good the operation of jammed doors and windows due to building movement. The existing concrete slabs on three sides of the building have been replaced, with new veranda post footings, a more positive fall away from the building and equitable access western door.
The building, in most recent years, has been used as the Music Teaching Learning space for Warwick East State School students, with both general music and visiting Instrumental Music Teachers using the space. It is also used for community purposes such as local, state and federal elections.
The space will be used as a purpose-designed meeting place for the school and the wider community to use. Meetings can be held with space and furnishings for up to 40 participants, interactive media for presenting information, tea/coffee facilities in a comfortable, modern and practical meeting environment, within a space that reflects and celebrates the rich history of the building.
The school will also display some items of historical significance and memorabilia to pay homage to the site of Warwick East State School. The artefacts will include sporting trophies, photos of the flood and fire events that have occurred, and the Principal diary – open to the page of the fire, as it was sitting on her desk during the 2019 event which destroyed the administration building.
An official reopening of the building may be undertaken at a future date, but has not been officially announced.
