150 years: Waurn Ponds Primary School

Learn about the history of Waurn Ponds, one of Victoria’s oldest public schools.

Key information

Address:
Waurn Ponds, 3216
Opened:
1 February 1871
Closed:
1 January 1979
School type:
Primary
School number:
1040
Other names:
Waurn Ponds Common School, Waurn Ponds State School

The history of Waurn Ponds Primary School

  • 1871

    Opened as a common school in western Geelong. 

    The original limestone school building had an attached teacher's house. 

    The first head teacher was Lewis Walters who taught 41 students. 

  • 1892

    Lewis Walters stopped teaching at the school after 21 years of service.

  • 1923

    Sir Alexander Peacock, Minister of Education, opened a new weatherboard school building.

    R Polley, the School Committee Correspondent, played an important role. 

  • 1970

    The name of the school changed to Waurn Ponds Primary School in 1970. 

  • 1979

    The school closed in 1979.

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.

Now it's your turn to do some detective work. Take a look to see what info PROV have on this school.

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