Schools running wild

I was out and about on the weekend searching for school sites and, late in the afternoon, arrived at Rainbow East or the Hazeldene school site.

Back when the school was open 1908-1960 it was a wide open expanse with little to revive the outlook, and it is still much the same today - a concrete plinth in the corner of a crop paddock. What surprised me was the swathe of grape hyacinths in the gutter of the road verges. The hardy little bulbs still emerging after more than 50 years of abandonment.

Grape hyacinths and a few capeweed daisies

But it does make you think about the efforts of the past pupils and teachers who planted and cared them, often in difficult circumstances.
I've come across a number of bulbs that emerge each year, typically jonquils, belladonna lilies or nerines at abandoned schools and homes, and also more rarely the beautiful yellow Autumn crocus found at both Ellam (1927-1970s) and Sandsmere (1887-1951) school sites.

A clump of Autumn crocus at Ellam

As well as a number of perennial plants: these two were found at the older Tooan site (1882-1969) overlooking St Mary's Lake. 

The site is surrounded by sugar gums, a few pines, and a herbacous plant crowding the window, and clumps of jonquils and daffodils each spring. 

The newer Highway site has a mammoth flowering cacti.






 Usually you can guess at the location of a school by larger plants: sugar gums, pepper trees, and strangely - cactus/cacti.

Boyeo School has all three

The Watchupga (variously named Watchupga North East, Watchupga Railway Station, and then Watchupga) site is almost triffid-like, under attack from invading spiky cactus. The school has only been closed since 1972.

At the Miram North East school (which featured in “Mad as rabbits”, no relationship that I can see) it is a succulent that has been running amuck since 1933, constrained it would be a great pot-plant.

Miram North East school site

The Lake Hindmarsh marker surrounded by an overgrown garden

Then there are places like Wal Wal which are still a veritable park with a specimen palm, deciduous trees, roses (desperately in need of a trim) and small plants. The school closed in 1973.

Boy-O Boyeo

This is the full unauthorised version 'the Director's Cut' of my Boyeo story. The original shorter version was for our iPad videographing classes (and Larissa made me edit it down to the pre-requisite 90 seconds, so the interior pan sequence hit the cutting-room floor. So now here it is in its entirety).

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It was from my mission to photograph the schools or school sites across the Wimmera region, that I discovered the Boyeo School building. And I knew I had to return to make it the subject of my video, as still photos didn't portray the full atmospheric feel of the place.
The Boyeo School opened in February 1884 in a temporary building on a 2 acre site. In 1885 the Department erected a timber schoolroom with an attached 4-room residence. Finally like most rural schools it succumbed to declining attendance and finally closed in February 1944.
The old abandoned, derelict structure has stood for 127 years on a rise above a timbered swamp, part of a Crown Land red-gum reserve.

Quaint - but pronouncing hell

Out touring on the weekend to a number of quite small hamlets, localities really. 
Like Neuarpurr where the horses (from cute little miniatures up to the large draught horses) vastly outnumbered the human residents. But there was the beautifully rustic Neuarpurr State School building (the perceptive will recognise this is the same style as Boyeo, just flipped) now a private home. I've driven past a dozen times previously without discovering this little gem.

Neuarpurr No. 2645 (1890s-1940s)

Booroopki WWI monument

Talking of little towns , there was Minimay proudly boasting 'population 10' on the town sign, it still has a store/post office, but not sure for how long as there was the For Sale sign out the front. 
From the dead-end Domaschenz Road in the Patyah/Jallakin area, bypassed Ozenkadnook and skirted Lake Charlegrark to arrive at Booroopki (the City staff were having a giggle at its pronunciation the other day). Booroopki now has a little picnic shelter at its Avenue of Honour.
Heading west to the new money at Tallageira - the farmers moving to huge centre-pivot irrigation to grow vegetables, even the sheep were eating the discarded onions (readily seasoned lamb roast). 

Cast-iron plate outside the Benayeo Hall

Then just short of the border and Kybybolite, to Benayeo finding this relic - apparently the back plate of a fireplace, built by the Victoria Foundry in Carlton for the Education Department in 1876. Was going to finish off at Bringalbert, but the light was fading so it will have to be another alphabet adventure in local nomenclature.

Boy-o-boy

Boyeo in the 1880s (J.Pickering)

I was on a mission to photograph the schools or school sites across the Wimmera region, and after spending the day searching for plaques or signposts, usually surrounded by a ring of sugar gums, I was on the lookout for the Boyeo site. I knew it had been sold at auction, so was amazed to see the wooden building across a paddock. After negotiating an arm of what in winter would be swamp,arrived at the precariously leaning Boyeo School building. 

My first view of the school building

Boyeo School No. 2577 (formerly Tarranginnie North became Boyeo in 1888) opened in February 1884 in a temporary building with an iron roof, timber floor, 2 doors & 1 window built by selectors, on Patterson’s selection. A 2 acre site was gazetted 15.5.1885, near the southeast corner of a block largely taken up by a large swamp. 

In 1885 the Department erected a timber building with an attached four-room residence. An underground tank was provided in 1887. The Boyeo Post Office was established in the residence in 1888, changing the name from Tarranginnie North to Boyeo. In 1898 permission was given to construct an underground room to combat the excessive heat. By 1910 in an unusually wetter year, the school was completely surrounded by water. Children arrived in boats or waded knee-deep (the school closed from September until January). It finally closed in February 1944.

This is essentially the published article submitted by Joan Pickering (Joan Beacom attended Boyeo in the 1930s) in the “Vision and realisation” book. Fortunately the Library also has her book "Tarranginnie Schools" which has a section devoted to the Boyeo school.

The swamp - interesting to park a school near it - in 1909 the teacher Janet McVicar found "the school is almost surrounded by a swamp and the flies and other insects are often so troublesome that the children have to work in a state of torment", she was requesting a wire door & wire windows.

The sagging residence held up by its chimney

The flood of August 1910 led to the school becoming an island, some parents refused to send their children till the water receded. A month later the school closed when the water rose to cover the schoolhouse floor, entered the outlet pipe of the underground tank,polluting it. The water fell at the end of the year, but rose again with February rains. There were several attempts to shift the school but with no agreement, it remained perched on the edge of the swamp.

The rear of the school faces the prevailing winds

At the other extreme - The underground room was requested by the teacher Thomas Posser as his wife and child had found the heat so intense he had been obliged to send them away to Western Port. He proposed to excavate 8' square by 6' deep with wooden steps leading down, a roof of iron with hessian beneath, with a draught pipe, and whitewashed walls. The Department did not object, provided he filled the hole in should he cease teaching at the school.

The heavily raftered roof gives it stability

Like many other small schools Boyeo suffered from bouts of measles, whooping cough and scarletina. The children (with assistance) tended a school garden and trees for Arbor Days (they won the prize for best garden). And finally like most rural schools it succumbed to declining attendance and closed in 1944, and the school building was sold at auction in Kaniva.

The old weatherboard building still sits on a rise above the timbered swamp, part of a Crown Land red-gum reserve. Erected in March 1886 it has stood for 127 years, 63 of them as an abandoned, derelict structure. Its stability must be due to the construction which has the rafters spaced only a couple of feet apart, though how much longer this will be true is uncertain. I spent nearly an hour strolling around the school, peering in through the doors and windows, checking out the bits and pieces strewn around the yard.

Some of the detritus, yes I found its mate about 20 metres away