150 years: Gundowring State School

Learn about the history of Gundowring State School, one of Victoria's oldest public schools.

Key information

Address:
Gundowring, 3691
Opened:
1 July 1872
Closed:
6 February 1953
School type:
Primary
School number:
1159
Other names:
Gundowring Common School

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The history of Gundowring State School

  • 1870s

    Gundowring was opened as a common school in 1872.

    The first head teacher was Richard George Heath. The schoolhouse was a wooden building with a shingle roof.

    A larger wooden schoolhouse was built and the head teacher lived in the old schoolhouse.

    The school became a state school at some stage between 1873 and 1878.

  • 1894

    Gundowring closed on 18 October 1894 because student numbers were too low.

  • 1910

    The school reopened on 8 November 1910.Classes were held in two rented rooms because the old school building was so run down.

  • 1912

    The number of students was increasing and the school no longer fitted into the two rented rooms.

    The old run-down schoolhouse had to be used again until a new building was built.

    This new wooden building opened in August 1912.

  • 1926

    The schoolhouse was renovated and its sized increased.

  • 1947

    Two tennis courts were built at the school.

  • 1953

    Gundowring closed in 1953 when it combined with other schools to form Kiewa Valley Consolidated School (No. 1159). The students from all the closed schools moved to the consolidated school.

    The schools that combined were:

    • Dederang North State School (No. 2818)
    • Kergunyah State School (No. 1345)
    • Gundowring State School (No. 1159)
    • Kiewa State School (No. 1472)
    • Gundowring Upper State School (No. 2733)
    • Red Bluff State School (No. 3526)
    • Charleroi State School (No. 3156)
    • Gundowring North State School (No. 4581)

Find more interesting facts about this school

The Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is the archive of Victoria's State and local government. They look after some of our oldest school records, and we can use these records to help us understand what school life used to be like.

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