Pakenham Consolidated School photographs - Part 1

I came across these photographs of Pakenham Consolidated School on the Public Records Office of Victoria (PROV). The Pakenham Consolidated School was officially opened on May 29, 1951 with 258 pupils, on the site of the Pakenham State School, No.1359, in Main Street. The original Pakenham School had opened on a site near the Toomuc Creek in January 1875 and it moved to the Main Street site in 1891. I went to Pakenham Consolidated School on the Grenda's school bus, Bus 7, from Vervale from 1964 until 1970. My two sisters and my brother also went there. You can read more about the formation of the school, here.

When the school was established, new class rooms were constructed, however some of the school buildings were also transferred and used at the school and some of these buildings are shown here. This post also has photos of the opening of the school and exterior shots. The PROV also has many photos of the construction phase, which I have not included here, but you can see them on their website, www.prov.vic.gov.au, Part 2 has photographs of students in class rooms and other interior shots and some school bus photographs, see here. The photos were taken in the 1950s and early 1960s.

   

Old School Buildings

The original Pakenham State School, No. 1359.

Exterior of old school,  PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/10, F225

The original Pakenham State School, No. 1359.

Construction scenes and exterior shots  VPRS 14517/P0001/55, C148

Some of the old schools, the one on the left is Toomuc Valley School, No. 3034.

Old classrooms, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/54, B986

More old school buildings, the little one in the middle is Nar Nar Goon South, No, 4554.

View of old building,  PROV  VPRS 14517/P0001/55, C259

Nar Nar Goon North No. 2914.

Construction scenes and exterior shots,  PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/55, C146

View towards the original Pakenham School, love the little girl looking through the window.

Construction views, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/55, C173

The Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremony, May 29, 1951.

Opening ceremony at Pakenham Consolidated, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/54, B995

Opening Ceremony, May 29, 1951.

Opening ceremony at Pakenham Consolidated, VPRS 14517/P0001/54, B996 

Opening Ceremony, May 29, 1951.

Opening ceremony at Pakenham Consolidated, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/54, B997 

Opening Ceremony, May 29, 1951.

Opening ceremony at Pakenham Consolidated, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/54, B998

Opening Ceremony, May 29, 1951.

Opening ceremony at Pakenham Consolidated, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/54, B999 

Exterior photographs

The houses for the teachers

Teachers' residences, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/54, B975

The toilet block and the shelter sheds

Toilet block, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/54, B985

Playground

Exterior of playground, Pakenham Consolidated, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/19, H738

Playground

Exterior of playground, Pakenham Consolidated, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/19, H739

The classroom wing on the west side, against Dame Patty Avenue.

Front exterior, Pakenham Consolidated, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/19, H740

Front of the school

Front exterior, Pakenham Consolidated, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/19, H741

Playground

Exterior of playground, Pakenham Consolidated, PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/19, H743

This post shows some of the old school buildings transferred to the site, the original Pakenham State School; the opening ceremony and exterior shots. Part 2 has photographs of students in class rooms and other interior shots and some school bus photographs, see here.

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Pakenham Consolidated School photographs - Part 2

I came across these photographs of Pakenham Consolidated School on the Public Records Office of Victoria (PROV). The Pakenham Consolidated School was officially opened on May 29th, 1951 with 258 pupils, on the site of the Pakenham State School, No.1359, in Main Street. The original Pakenham School had opened on a site near the Toomuc Creek in January 1875 and it moved to the Main Street site in 1891. I went to Pakenham Consolidated School on the Grenda's school bus, Bus 7, from Vervale from 1964 until 1970. My two sisters and my brother also went there. We spent at least two hours a day on the school bus, we must have been the most easterly students who attended Pakenham Consolidated School. You can read more about the formation of the school, here.

These photos show students in class rooms, other interior shots and school bus photographs. Part 1 has photographs of the old school buildings transferred to the site, the original Pakenham State School; the opening ceremony and exterior shots, see here. The PROV also have many other photos of the construction phase - www.prov.vic.gov.au, which I have not included here. The photos were taken in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Class room photographs

Art Room, Pakenham Consolidated School 

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/19, H730

Prefab classroom, Pakenham Consolidated School 

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/19, H732

 Boys in woodwork room  

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/54, B978

Using f/s projector in classroom  

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/54, B982

Teacher turns on loudspeaker, Pakenham Consolidated School 

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/19, H737

Corridor, Pakenham Consolidated School 

Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 14517/P0001/19, H736

Pakenham Consolidated school Girl receives piano lesson

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/54, B980

Sick bay, Office and Staff room

Sick room

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/55, C104

Parents enrolling a child

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/55, C160

Staff room, Pakenham Consolidated School 

Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 14517/P0001/19, H744

School bus photographs

Because I spent so much of my school days on a school bus, here's some bus photos.

Children wait for buses   

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/54, C85

Children at school bus.  

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/55, C136

Children and school bus  

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/55, C159

Children line up for buses   

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/55, C168

 Construction views, buses in background

PROV VPRS 14517/P0001/55, C177  

These photos show students in class rooms, other interior shots and school bus photographs. Part 1 has photographs of the old school buildings transferred to the site, the original Pakenham State School; the opening ceremony and exterior shots, see here.

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Pakenham Consolidated School

In the 1940s and 1950s there was a movement to consolidate small rural schools into one larger school. This was partly a response to a shortage of teachers, due to many male teachers enlisting during the Second World War. The War also caused a shortage of materials and labour and many Schools fell into disrepair. The Education Department decided that Pakenham would be one of the first six Consolidated Schools to be established and that all schools within 8 kms or 5 miles would be closed and beyond that, the Schools would have an option.

The Pakenham Consolidated School was officially opened on May 29, 1951, on the site of the Pakenham State School, No.1359, in Main Street. The original Pakenham School had opened on a site near the Toomuc Creek in January 1875 and it moved to the Main Street site in 1891. The Pakenham Gazette of June 8, 1951 reported that on May 29th, four buses conveyed 130 children from surrounding districts to Pakenham Consolidated School. At present there are 258 pupils attending the School, and it is hoped that in September several other schools will be consolidated, raising the attendance to over 400 children.

The first Head Master was Charles Hicks. The School offered classes up to Year 10 (Form 4). The schools that formed the Consolidated School were Pakenham Upper No. 2155 (closed January 1952),  Pakenham South No. 3755 (closed September 1951), Toomuc Valley No. 3034 (closed September 1951), Army Road No. 3847 (closed April 1947), Mount Burnett No. 4506 (closed October 1949), Tynong No. 2854 (closed April 1951),  Tynong North No.4464 (closed December 1951),  Nar Nar Goon North No. 2914 (closed October 1951),  Nar Nar Goon South No. 4554 (closed May 1951), Rythdale No. 4231 (closed September 1951), Officedale No. 4242 (closed May 1951), Cora Lynn No. 3502 (closed May 1951) and Koo-Wee-Rup North (Five Mile) No. 3198 (closed November 1959). Some communities appreciated the opportunities that their children would get from a larger School whilst other parents felt the distance to be travelled by bus and the larger class sizes were a disadvantage.

The School consisted of new buildings, which at the time cost one hundred thousand pounds, and many of the old School buildings. Some towns did not realise that their School buildings would be removed from the sites and transferred to Pakenham, and thus the town would lose a community meeting place. By 1966, when the photograph below was taken, Pakenham Consolidated School had 550 primary students and 94 post-primary students. There must have been a space shortage, because my Grade 2 classes were all conducted down the street at the Anglican Church hall. Our teachers, that year, were Mrs Ring then Miss Ahern (who became Mrs Fitzgerald).


The Pakenham Consolidated School moved from its original location in Main Street to its current location in Rundell, Way in 1997.

There are photographs of the School from the 1950s and 1960s, from the Public Records Office of Victoria in posts here and here.

Much of the information for this piece comes from the paper written by Ron Smith, in 1974, Consolidation, with particular reference to Pakenham Consolidated School. Copy held in the CCLC Archive. Information also taken from Vision and Realisation : a centenary history of State Education in Victoria (Education Department of Victoria, 1973)

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