A History of Marrar and District, 1979. Researched and Compiled by Mr Alby Armstrong 14. Education - Towards the Marrar School of Today Includes the campaign warms up, Sj Cornell, residence, eyes of an inspector, pits to pans, quest for a bell, water, resumption of land and Miss Cooper.
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In 1904, a section of land in Parish Kinilibah, County Bourke, was surveyed for future use as a school site.  However, the matter was not given wide publicity for fear it would excite the local residents into demands for a public school in the expanding township of Marrar.  In July 1908, the site, bounded by Lime, See and Webb Streets, and measuring two acres sixteen perches was dedicated for school purposes.

Four months earlier, a second application for a Public School in Marrar had received a favourable response from the district inspector, and plans were thus in hand to erect a permanent building on the site as soon as the dedication was proclaimed.  But in August 1907, when the first application for a Public School had been made, and it was claimed that there would be twenty six children eligible to attend, Senior Inspector Nolan refused to give his support.  On October 26, 1907 he wrote:

Marrar is a railway township nine miles east of Coolamon. Several substantial buildings have already been erected, and others are in course of construction.  The township which caters for the selectors recently settled on Marrar and Murrulebale stations, gives evidence of permanence; the population is likely to increase...
In the event of a school being established, and enrolment of nineteen may be expected from the start and an average attendance of about 14.
A daily train from Marrar reaches Coolamon at 9.30 am and leaves there on the return trip at 4.30 pm; facilities are thereby afforded to enable the Marrar children to attend Coolamon Public School where there is ample accommodation.  A separate school is not required at Marrar; this is certainly a case where the Central School system should be adopted.

Undeterred by this preliminary setback, a public meeting was called and the whole community apprised of the present impasse.  In March a further application was forwarded by a local committee consisting of Robert Henry, Charles Beggs, William Ryan, Grove Flood and A.J. Campbell.  A temporary room was said to be available at the newly constructed public hall.  Mr. Garry, the local member of Parliament lent his support to the cause.  But little appeared to occur.

The Pinnacle School (later known as Eurandelong) was said to have operated on a piece of land in the Parish of Marrar, County Clarendon, belonging to Mr. George McNickle.  A new site was surveyed in October 1883 and dedicated a short time later.  This two acre site on the side of the hill referred to as the Pinnacle, was a short distance south west of the existing site.  However it was never occupied and the land was eventually resumed as farm land.

The Campaign Warms Up
In May, the Marrar Farmers and Settlers Association added its voice to the campaign.  It called on the Minister to recognise the urgent necessity for a school at Marrar siding, and whilst conceding that some of the forty possible pupils travelled by train to the school at Coolamon, many others were not sent there at all, firstly because of the alleged danger of train travel, and secondly because of the late hour of arrival at school in the morning as well as at home in the evening.

Inspector Walker was asked to re-examine the residents' claims, and on June 10, submitted the following:
Today I visited Marrar to inquire into the question of a new school in the place ... of the thirty seven children whose names were on the forms submitted, I saw 27.  Within a radius of 2 miles I estimate that there are 34 children of school age.  At present 17 children go by rail to Coolamon Public School, and I understand that 3 or 4 also go by rail to the Coolamon Convent School.  The permanence of the township is assured and there is evidence that the population will increase.  Conveyance by rail is met with much opposition.  Under present arrangements the children reach Coolamon about 10 am and get back to Marrar about 4.40 pm.  Pupils who live about 11/2 miles from the station reach home late in the winter evenings.  Parents will not send the young children by rail so that these lose a valuable part of the period of education.

The site is central and in all ways suitable.  Seeing that the township is growing, that there are between 30 and 40 children available for enrolment as school pupils, and that only half of these go by rail to Coolamon, I do not think it wise to withhold a school any longer.  Much as I am in favour of concentrations, I do not think that conveyance will in this case be a success.

The Department accepted Walker's recommendation, and on October 15, 1908 John Gray commenced work on a school building twenty one feet long, twenty two feet wide and eleven feet high.  The school room and outbuildings cost £148/-/- and were ready for occupation at the beginning of the 1909 school year.

S.J. Cornell
Mr. S.J. Cornell, a married man with eleven years service behind was appointed to take charge of the school.  Not all the parents saw eye to eye, with Cornell's methods and turns of expression, but a petition signed by fourteen parents and submitted to Inspector Walker in December 1909 affirmed the 'keen appreciation which was felt of his excellent work in teaching and discipline.'

Cornell's indifferent health, resulting in his inability to perform any more duties than those necessary for bare survival in the classroom, adversely affected the school in 1910.  Inspector Skinners' report on his inspection in August drew attention to incomplete programme registers, and inefficient organisation.  Cornell offered an explanation and was allowed to continue for the time being.  In February 1912 he submitted his resignation on the grounds of his rapidly deteriorating health.

A School Residence
In July 1913, Black Brothers were awarded a 614 contract to erect a school residence.  It was a wooden building consisting of three bedrooms, a sitting room, a dining room, a kitchen, wash house and verandah on three sides.  During the construction period, the teacher, James Farrell sought and was granted a stove (85/-), a bath (65/-), a shower (30/-) and a tank filter (15/-) to include in the new residence.

Through The Eyes Of An Inspector
At the same time as the residence was being built, the school was inspected.  Although the comment was made that the school needed to be kept in a tidier fashion, the overall impression which the inspector gained was quite favourable.  He commanded the pupils on their library (containing some 78 volumes) their skill in arithmetic, oral expression and composition writing, as well as their experimental agriculture work in the school garden.  He suggested that more attention could be given to marching in and out of class, to breathing and physical exercises, so that 'mind and muscle will be trained to work together'.

A month after the inspection, Inspector Herrick received a letter from the Marrar Progress Association (which claimed to represent almost all the parents) seeking an enlargement of the school building:
The summer heat is approaching and many parents are averse to sending their younger children to school in such weather.
As well as an enlarged building, even a second classroom, they sought an assistant teacher:
so that the principal teacher may be able to devote more time to those who are advancing in years.

In support of their case, they submitted the following statistical return:
 

	September Quarter
Week	Enrolment	Average Attendance
1	50	45.5
2	51	48.3
3	53	49.5
4	53	46.2
5	53	38.9
6	53	43.8
7	52	39.2

Within the present room, there were four desks ten feet in length, and four that were eight feet four inches long.
In reply, Acting Inspector J. Douglas wrote:

In my opinion there is no present need of enlarging the Marrar School though the place is progressing rapidly and it may soon be most necessary.  As the average attendance for the seven weeks of the present quarter has been 44 and there is a good likelihood of this attendance being maintained, I beg to recommend the appointment of an additional teacher.

Miss Eileen Mulqueeney was appointed in due course as the first assistant teacher at the school.  In 1915, with enrolments standing at 66, a second room was built.  Thirty two new dual desks were sought, sixteen for the first and second class room, and the others for the third to sixth class room.

From Pits to Pans
Pressure from the Coolamon Shire Council to convert the existing closet system into a pan system had been resisted by the Department in 1914 on the grounds of cost.  For two years the remainder of the town had been using the new system, but the school strove to remain unaffected.  In October 1915, the cess pits were declared by the Council under a Local Government Act, to be 'a nuisance', and the £18/14/- was paid to carry out the conversion.

James Boume replaced Farrell in April 1917, but remained at the school for less than a year.  Robert Anderson took up his appointment in February 1918 and enthusiastically set about developing school spirit.  In July he was granted permission to close the school at 3.30 pm instead of 4 pm on account of the distances many of the pupils had to walk home.  In August he succeeded in convincing the inspector that a fly proof door and fly screened windows were essential, and ought to be provided out of Government funds.  In October he initiated a tradition in the school, namely the Annual Picnic and Sports Day.  Almost without exception, this event was held on a Wednesday late in September or early in October for the next eleven years.  In 1921 an exception was made.  The picnic was held on November 11 to celebrate Armistice Day.

Quest for a Bell
Not long after taking up his appointment in 1923, John Swan made application to the Department for a school bell.  The inspector endorsed the application:

As the school bell can regulate the village time and hasten all the children in the last mile, I strongly recommend the supply.

But bells were no longer supplied to schools and the quest proved fruitless.  The bell at Marrar originally came from Gwynne School near Murrulebale.  Mr. Hamilton was instrumental in having the bell transferred to Woodville School in 1909.  When that school was closed, he applied for, and was successful in having the bell brought to the present Marrar School in 1930.

Of Educational Concern
By June 1924, the enrolment at the school had reached 107, with fifty two pupils in the four upper classes and fifty five in the three lower ones.  The newly formed Parents and Citizens Association, which had replaced the loosely constituted school committee and more general community oriented Progress Association, was concerned with the implications of such an enrolment figure.  They wrote to the Director-General of Education:

Under these conditions no teacher can reasonably be expected to obtain the best results, particularly in reference to the infants where individual attention and tuition is essential to fit them for higher grades, generally speaking we consider that neither the teachers nor children are getting a fair deal.  There is an urgent need for an additional room.

The lower classroom had been built and equipped to accommodate forty four pupils; it presently held fifty five pupils.  The letter went on to describe the present building:

The present building is mean in every way and not in keeping with the importance and requirements of this school.  It is weatherworn, its inside walls are dirty, and its stoves are useless.

The existing conditions from a health and an educational point of view are not conducive to the best interests of the children.  We strongly recommend to your good consideration the appointment of another teacher and that the need of a new classroom and renovations to the present building be given early attention'.

The Department was not deaf to the requests so clearly expressed.  By September, an additional assistant had been appointed, although work had not commenced on the additional room.  A letter from the P. and C. on September 10 to E.A. Buttenshaw M.L.A., conveyed the increased urgency of erecting the building.

Sir,
Thank you for your efforts on our behalf.  Believe me, they are much appreciated.  We are pleased ... that plans are being drawn up ... please hurry it on especially as the hot weather is coming.
We would also suggest that the additions should be made large enough to meet the needs of the future; This is a growing centre, and with the possibility of land resumption (big estates) it would be poor to meet only the present pressing requirements.

Twelve months later the new room was occupied, and the school's accommodation problems temporarily relieved.

Water
The paucity of water had been a recurrent problem for almost all of the schools in the Wagga Wagga and Marrar area, so when Walter Hamilton, who'd been the principal teacher since June 1925, sought a new, one thousand gallon tank, in 1929, he was not expressing a need which the school had just identified.  Hamilton himself had already made several requests regarding water, and in February 1926, had said:

A good water supply goes a long way to make life bearable in such times as we are having now!

On this occasion, it was to maintain the garden that additional storage facilities were required:

I have done more than most teachers would do to try and beautify the school grounds and now ask for my efforts to be safeguarded by the provision of a new tank.  The present one is insufficient during the dry summers we usually experience here.

More than a dozen roses had been lost in the previous year through want of an adequate water supply.  Inspector Ravenscroft added his support:

When I recently paid my visit of inspection to Marrar School I noted the wonderful school garden, the show piece of the district, luxuriant in the midst of a drought that had practically annihilated every other garden and I had then no doubt whatever about approving the teacher's request for an additional tank.  In a dry area such as this I think every possible provision should be made for the storage of all the water that will really be required.  I recommend the acceptance, therefore, of Mr. Stewart's tender of £11/-/- for the supply and erection of a 1,000 gallon tank.

Unsightly Appearances
In June 1925, the P. and C. Association wrote to the Minister to voice its concern at the appearance of the residence.

My Association wishes to draw your attention to the unsightly appearance of the school residence in this town.  It seems a pity that such a fine residence should be allowed to fall into disrepair as it will certainly do for lack of a coat of paint.

John Swan had mentioned the need for this to be done back in 1925 while the new room was being built, and the P. and C. through its secretary, Mr. P. Murphy had said the same thing in July 1925.  Hamilton had raised the matter with the inspector in 1929, and again early in 1930.  But the country was in the grip of a Depression, and funds were simply not available for such works.  A report by the Department's architect tipped the balance.  In his view the work was of utmost urgency if larger expenditure on repairs in the future was to be avoided.  In October the Government decided to divert a sum of £760/-/- from proposed works at West Kempsey, and the painting of the Marrar residence (along with some minor repairs) was one of the new projects able to be completed.  The funds were channelled into the Unemployment Relief Programme, and several local men were granted employment on the project.

Resumption of Land
Ever since the school residence had been erected in 1913 and a portion of land of about half an acre had been fenced off as residence yard, the school had had to function with a reduced playing area.  Inevitably some school activities spilled out on to one of the three streets bordering the school grounds.  On August 22, 1930 the Department acceded to a request from the teacher that two blocks of land, belonging to Lindley Walker Wheat Company and C.F. Molan respectively, and adjoining the school site be resumed.  These resumptions added about an acre to the school grounds.  Unemployment relief money was used to place a fence around the additional land.

A Chair Makes A Difference
In 1938, the school was provided with an additional chair, thereby enabling each teacher to sit down at the same time.  In April, the old tank was sold but more importantly, the electricity was connected to the residence.  Whereas most residences were only equipped with two power outlets, the Marrar residence was equipped with four 'in order that such appliances as fans, vacuum cleaners and lamps which are becoming more common might also be used as well as the iron and radio'.

In 1940, the school's enrolment stood at 47.  It remained reasonably stable at this level until the late fifties when further development in the area led to a virtual doubling of the school population.  This higher level was maintained for nigh fifteen years before a further drop brought it back to its wartime levels in the mid seventies.

Miss Cooper
No story of the Marrar Public School would be complete without reference to Miss Alice Cooper.  Her story is told elsewhere in this book.  A general comment written in June 1948 by Mr. S.J. Donaldson is typical of the high regard in which Miss Cooper was held: 'There is a very pleasing tone evident in Miss Cooper's room.  Discipline is firm, but pleasant, which is reflected in the pupil's attitude towards their teacher and their work'.

Supplementary Notes on School Sites in The Marrar District
The first Provisional school established at Marrar in 1879 was erected on a two acre site, being Portion 114 in the Parish of Malebo, County Clarendon.  The site was located in the south east corner of the Reserve 666 bounded on the north by Wagga Road to Marrar.  An additional piece of land of ten acres, being Portion 115, was also acquired as a horse paddock.  The land was granted on November 26, 1880.  In 1907 the Lands Department made an effort to resume the land for 'closer settlement farms' but the Education Department refused to surrender it.

The Marrar school, which from 1903 to 1929, was called Woodville school, was located on Portion 191 in the Parish of Maror, County Clarendon.  In 1896 this piece of land was said to be 3/4 mile south of the 10 mile peg on the Wagga to Narrandera railway line.  The two acre site was gazetted in 1897 and revoked in 1965.

Marrar Public School, opened in 1909, was erected on a site of 2 acres and 2 roods, on reserve 37445, Parish Kinilibah, County Bourke.  The land was set aside in 1904 and dedicated on July 1, 1908.  It was bounded by Webb Street, See Street, and Lime Street.  In 1930, an additional acre was resumed between Webb and Lime Streets adjoining the school.