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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-05-08 Daily Xml
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EVANSTON GARDENS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (15:31): Today I draw to the attention of the house the centenary celebrations of Evanston Gardens Primary School—a school within my electorate. When one looks at the history of a local school one is looking into the history of the community around it. As I said when I helped to launch the school's centenary year celebrations earlier this year, if you go through the enrolment book of the school you can trace the development and changes to Evanston Gardens and the surrounding community. Currently the school has an enrolment of 140 students, with about 50 per cent of them being eligible for School Card. The principal is Jan Webber and the chairperson of the governing council is Wendy Bessen.

Until 1968 the school was known as Gawler Blocks primary school, reflecting the name of the area until that time. Gawler Blocks was originally owned by Mr John Riggs in town sections of 630 acres. A move to establish Gawler Blocks began with a meeting in Gawler on 28 May 1890 which formed a branch of the homestead league. On 24 June 1891 the league received word that the government had purchased the 630 acres as requested by the branch for working men's blocks.

On 21 June 1892 the blocks were allocated in various acreages, with a maximum of 20 acres. These blocks were intended as a means of a little extra income to the working man, by producing milk, butter, eggs and other products on their land. At that time a labourer's wage was not much more than 25 pence per week. There was no sick pay, no holiday pay and quite a bit of unemployment due to seasonal conditions.

The majority of the early settlers in the area worked in Gawler in two large foundries owned by James Martin and the May brothers. The first houses in the area were somewhat basic, some being built of clay and straw. The settlers in the area were soon to be known as the blockers.

The first move to establish any community life was taken in about 1905, when residents decided that a church and Sunday school was needed for the rapidly growing number of young folk in the area. An approach was made to the Presbyterian Church in Gawler and services were started in a barn on Sam Hillier's property. Mr Jabez Hillier gave a quarter of an acre of land on which to build the church, and in July 1907 the foundation stone of the Gawler Blocks church was laid. The education department then rented the church for use as a day school.

Amongst the pioneer blockers were names such as Matz, Forby, Wiese, O'Toole, Turner, Emerson, Lucas and Risby, reflecting the British and German heritage of the earlier settlers. One of the best known local members of parliament for the area was the late Mr Jack Clark, a member of the Labor Party. He moved to Gawler Blocks in 1914 and resided there for a number of years in his early youth.

The school opened on 20 January 1908. Blanche Tims, a provisional teacher, taught at the school in 1908 and 1909. In 1909 Robert Morgan was appointed head teacher and held that position until 1911. One of the longest serving teachers was Joseph O'Loughlin, who was head teacher from 1923 until his retirement in 1944. In 1923 the education department built the present school. In 1951, 1961 and 1966 wooden prefab classrooms were added to the school as pupil numbers grew. Another wooden prefab classroom was added in 1974 when the nearby Gawler River school closed.

The 1960s and 1970s saw a huge influx of Italian and Greek migrants to the area—including me—and the school roll soon had names like Demertzis, Mammone, Sabattini, Varelias, Hondros, Markov, Manno, Miaolo and Tsalamangos added to it.

Mr Kenyon interjecting:

Mr PICCOLO: Not Piccolo. No, Piccolo went to Evanston Primary School. In 1945, the Gawler Blocks Progress Association was formed, and it has done much for the benefit of the district. It was through the progress association as a young councillor that I met two local community stalwarts, the late Jack Cooper and Stan Coles. In March 1946, the memorial hall (situated adjacent to the school) was built, with the land for this purpose given by Mr Hillier. The hall has been a focal point for social gatherings and meetings of various organisations of the district.

In 1951, the Gawler Women's Agricultural Bureau was formed. In 1980, the Glen Mann activity room was opened, with labour and funds to convert the existing shelter provided by the school council. In 1981, the school principal's residence became offices and staffroom. In 2004, the Gawler council agreed to name an appropriate new road 'Gawler Blocks Road' in Evanston Gardens or Hillier to acknowledge the history of the area. I wish the school well in its celebrations which take place on 16, 17 and 18 May. I thank the Gawler public library for assistance in researching for this speech.

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