Manly Public School: The First Hundred Years 1858–1958

STOP PRESS: Brave and Bold: Manly Village Public School 1858 to 2008 by John Ramsland chronicles the 150 year history of our school. Copies will be available for sale from late February for a special price of $20.

1858
On 8 April 1858, Henry Gilbert Smith known as the "Father of Manly" offered land in Manly to the New South Wales National Schools Board for Manly’s first school.The land was at the corner of Belgrave and Carlton Streets, Manly. Mr Gilbert also guaranteed $150 toward the cost of the school building. He said 38 local children were eligible to enrol.

1858
On 28 September 1858, Manly National School began in a temporary building, known as "Swiss Cottage" on the top of Constitution Hill. Mr John Wiblin was the first teacher, assisted by his wife. Only 8 of the 62 children living locally attended.

1859
In January 1859, the new Manly Public School was completed. 23 children enrolled, but by July 1859 only 19 were attending including 3 children from the Wiblin family

1859
Later in the year, Mr Wiblin left due to poor student attendance and inadequate fee income to pay his salary. In October, Mrs Mitchell, a widow with three children re-opened the school with 27 pupils. Most local children only attended a weekly Sunday school.

1861
Mrs Mitchell resigned in May due to low enrolments, low fee income and salary. Manly School remained closed until January 1862.

1862
In June Mrs Arill, the new teacher also left due to the low salary. Mr Smith looked after the school tables, desks, chairs and books while the school was closed.

1862 – 63
Mr Henry Lee, who lived on The Corso and conducted the local baths, became the Manly School teacher after a short training period at Fort Street National School. Mr Lee refused to use the school residence and continued to run the local baths.

1863
In November, the District Inspector criticised Mr Lee’s teaching in his report. Mr Lee resigned, writing: "40 pupils had been exceedingly difficult to teacher. Many, though of a good age, had never been to school; many had drunken and dissipated parents; were unclean and ill behaved; he had to supply some of them with clothes".

1864
Mr John Thompson became Manly School’s teacher. Religious disputes between Catholic and Protestant parents came to a head when Mr Thompson caned a Catholic pupil.

1865
Mr George Smith one of the school’s Local Patrons, made 18 complaints or "charges" against Mr Thompson. None of the complaints were substantiated and Mr Smith resigned as Local Patron. Mr Smith erected a high fence between the school and his house, "Undercliffe", next door. Local Patron was an official position, like a School Council member.

1866
The Education Act of 1866 created the Council of Education which had "the control and expenditure of government gants for elementary (primary school) education, and the establishment and maintenance of public schools and the appointment, training and examination of teachers". School attendance weas still not compulsory.

1867
Our school became known as Manly Public School. A Manly School Board replaced the Board of Local Patrons. Mr Thompson was moved to another school, and replaced by Mr Lochrin Tiddy.

1867 – 1879
Mr Tiddy did most of the teaching. His wife taught sewing two afternoons a week. His son took 1st Class for 10 lessons each week. Enrolments reached 116 by 1870. Mr Tiddy was paid 108 pounds per annum by the Council of Education, plus 71 pounds from school fees, a total of 179 pounds yearly or less than 4 pounds per week. (Apporoximately $12 per week at today’s exchange rate)

1877
Mr Tiddy wrote that the school population was always changing. On average, pupils attended only 3 months out of 12, making the school one of the most difficult to manage in the Colong of New South Wales.

1878
The first "pupil" teacher was appointed to help Mr. Tiddy. Pupil or trainee teachers attended Fort Street Training School on Saturday mornings in addition to their practical teaching at Manly and other schools.

1879
In October 1879, Mr J. Bates was appointed as the new headmaster. He reports Manly School was overcrowded because of summer visitors to Manly. Over 150 children were enrolled and 100 attended regularly. In December, it was decided to build a new school on a new site.

1880
Sir Henry Parkes, Premier of New South Wales, introduced the Public Instruction Act, creating a new a new Department of Public Instruction. Education was made compulsory for the first time. Teacher salaries were now paid wholly by the Government. Financial aid to church schools ended in 1882. The Local School Boards were abolished. School fees continued until 1916 but were now paid to the Department.

1880
In May 1880, the present school site was bought for 1074 pounds. A new Public School would be built on the one and a half acre site, which had frontages to Wenworth Street, Darley Street and Victoria Street.

1882
In December 1882, the new Manly Public School and teacher’s house was completed at a cost of 3,616 pounds. Following the transfer of Mr Bates and a number of relieving teachers, Mr James Bardsley became the first teacher to occupy the new school and teacher’s house. Mr Bardsley was renowned for organising "paperchases", extending as far away as Narrabeen, for his pupils.

1884
Manly School now had 284 pupils. The old school site was sold for 900 pounds, after being used by the Volunteer Rifle Corps. Norfolk pines were planted at the new school to provide shade and natural beauty. Pupils participated each year in the Annual Wild Flower Display at Manly, and were given a school holiday for the event.

1890
Many parents objected to paying school fees to the Department, and were prosecuted. The new headmaster, Mr Sluman, wrote that the majority of parents were fishermen who could well afford the standard fee of 3 pence (6 cents) per week per child. The fifth and subsequent children were educated free of charge. Manly School now had a young assistant teacher, Miss Budden, and 3 pupil teachers. Some parents were reluctant to send their daughters as there was then no senior female teacher at the school. Only 40% of girls enrolled actually attended school.

1892
From 1 August 1892, separate girls and boys departments operated at the school, under Miss Ada Lee and Mr Sluman. Miss Budden taught the infants clases.

1893
There were 95 children in 1st Class alone all together in a crowded, enclosed verandah.

1895
Manly Public School continued to grow rapidly. Average attendance was 322, with 8 teachers. Many pupils only attended occasionally. This disrupted learning and discipline. School Inspector Maynard suggested that irregular attenders might be better at work: for their labour might be of service to someone, whereas their broken attendance at school was of no benefit either to themselves or to their parents. It helped to retard those who attended regularly and made the teacher’s task more difficult.

1898
Swimming became a regular school activity. Thirty girls and 25 boys belonged to the school swimming club.

1900
In April, Manly was classified as a Superior Public School

1901
An outback of deadly scarlet fever at the school was traced to a holiday-maker. Next year, a "diptheria scare" led to the fumigation and disinfection of the school.

1904
Miss Lee introduced typing lessons in the Girls Department. Girls were required to wear their hair tied at the nape of the neck.

1905
Overcrowding continued. Manly Superior School was renovated and the residence enlarged.

1908
The school was so overcrowded that there were only 3 classrooms for more than 200 girls. The Minister for Public Instruction approved a new two-storey building for the manual and science classes, and two general classes, as well as a separate infants school on the site.

1910
Additional land purchased for the new school buildings. Meanwhile, classes were held in the adjoining School of Art building and the Congregational Church Hall.

1911

• The school extensions completed at Easter 1911 were already too small. The School of Arts was now used regularly and came to be "regarded as part of the school". Various church halls were rented from time to time.
• Manly School’s High academic reputation attracted pupils from Balgowlah, Brookvale, Narrabeen and Harbord. Harbord Public School opened in 1912
• 52 Manly School pupils gain lifesaving medals after instruction by Mr Archer.
• Pupils in senior classes were taught typing, bookkeeping and business principles. 23 girls attended Fort Street Cookery School for advanced classes in cookery and needlework.

1913

• A group of boys visited two local businesses to observe duplicating machines and typing classes in operation.
• Pupils and parents erected on tennis court for the use of teachers and pupils

1914
World Ware 1 enlistment of soldiers led to an acute shortage of teachers. A rapid increase in school enrolments placed great pressure on the school and its headmaster Mr Cosgrove.
There were now 1140 pupils, with seating for only 747. Infant’s enrolments were limited but even so, classes overflowed into corridors and weather sheds.

1917
A new Girls Department was built for $10,860. Wattle Day was celebrated and basketball introduced as a girls sport.

1919

• Gas lighting was connected to the school just in time for the school to be used as an emergency hospital during the Flu Epidemic of 1919 in which thousands of Australians died.
• An Honour Roll was erected to commerate past pupils of Manly School who were killed on active duty in World War 1

1920

• In the recession after the War, more pupils remained at school. Extreme overcrowding led to a large Army tent being used for classes in the school grounds. Classes continued to spread to local church halls.
• Manly was now a Continuation School and a Commercial Day School, with classes to 7th and 8th Grade.
• Overcrowding was relieved temporarily with the opening of Manly North School in 1922.

1923

• Miss K Phillips appointed headmistress of the Manly Domestic Science Continuation School in 1923. This school became virtually autonomous within the framework of Manly Superior School.
• A site for a secondary (high) school was reserved

1924

• Manual Training Room for woodwork and metalwork was added to the old school.
• The Far West Scheme was established by Reverend Stanley Drummond.

1925
From 1 January 1925, Manly became a First Class Intermediate High School, including 6 Commercial Department classes and 4 Domestic Science Classes.
Far West Scheme summer camps for children from isolated rural areas began to be held at Manly School.

1930
The school residence was demolished to make space for a new Domestic Science School, including the primary Girls Department. Stone from the residence in the new building.

1931

• In September 1931 the new Domestic Science School was completed at a cost of $15,000 as a Unemployment Relief program to employ local workers out of work due to the Great Depression.
• Manly’s enrolments were now: primary boys 383; primary girls; infants 439; domestic science school/girls; 253; intermediate high school/boys 241- total of 1,661

1932
Manly became a Junior Technical School in additional to an Intermediate High to cater for pupils enrolled in technical and commercial courses. Balgowlah Heights Public School opened in 1933.
Primary School students and parents of donated 2 beds to Manly Hospital after 2 girls collapsed from food poisoning and a boys was knocked down by a car outside the school

Class 2B 1934

1934
Manly School’s giant fig tree was lopped at the request of the neighbours to the disappointment of pupils who loved its shade.
The combined Warringah Parents and Citizens Association was formed with its headquarters in Manly

1935

• Overcrowding forced the installation of wall blackboards in place of he old ones on easels.
• The Domestic Science School Library was expanded and the Assembly Hall fitted with a stage.
• Manly was now to big to meet as one school with over 450 pupils enrolled in each of primary and infants.

Class 4B 1936

1938
Manly School was again forced to occupy the Literary Institute and remained until 1943.

1943
Manly’s Secondary (high) School boys transferred to a new site the present Balgowlah Boys High School

1950’s
Overcrowding began to ease with the opening of Balgowlah Boys High in 1954 and Balgowlah North Public School in 1955.

SOURCE

Adapted from ‘Manly 1788 to 1968’ by Charles Swancott (Sydney n.d.). Additional materials are held in the Archives, Manly Public School and the Local History Collection of Manly Public Library.