Strathmore
Primary
School
(Further Information)
As mentioned in the previous page the school suffered severe fire damage within a year of being opened. The fire was reported in the the Metropolitan newspaper the "Herald" and was accompanied by a photograph showing some of the local children cheering. The residents where horrified and claimed that the cameraman had encouraged the children to cheer as a "blatant stunt" and that the children were really upset by the loss of the school.
Some other significant events in the schools history include:
- Enrolments increased by an average of 40 pupils per year until 1961 necessitating additions of classrooms;
- Addition of a further two brick classrooms in 1952;
- Major General Sir Alan Ramsay, Director of Education officially opened the eight classroom block on 25th July 1952;
- The "infant block" of four wooden classrooms was completed by 1954;
- Other rooms were added in 1955 (2), 1959 (2), and 1960 (2) bringing the total to eighteen and the infant block to six;
- Despite the increase in classrooms possible overcrowding was still a problem. In 1953 some children were conveyed to Flemington. The problem still existed in 1958 when the school excluded children below 6 years of age. Some pupils were accommodated at the Methodist Hall in Napier Street (now demolished). The problems persisted until the opening of the Strathmore North Primary School in 1961. The construction of the Tullamarine Freeway caused further decrease in pupil enrolments through the destruction of the housing and the division of the suburb;
- Central library established in 1962 and doubled in size 1967;
- Visual Aids room added in 1965; and
- Arts Craft Centre begun in 1969.
Other early Head Teachers included:
F Poyser (1949 - 52), F.
Yee (1953 -60),
A. Worcester (1961 - 63), W Shears (1964 - 66).