SCHOOL; BEJOORDING, TEACHER AND PUPILS OUTSIDE

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1903

Subcollections

Overview

A black and white photo of female teacher and 23 pupils. 11 girls and 12 boys.
Girls are all in white pinafores over their dresses. the girls are wearing stockings and shoes except for one.
Three boys in front row are barefooted and four boys are wearing long dark socks and shoes.
The teacher at the back is in a long dark skirt and long sleeved blouse.
A doorway is behind the teacher and a corrugated iron lean to with a doorway is behind the boys. The mud-brick school building has a brick chimney and a corrugated iron roof. A brushwood fence is at the left rear.
Identified in the photo are:
Back Row, standing: May SYRED, Ivy Elizabeth COUSINS (1891-1953); Eva (Evelyn Sarah RALPH 1890-1978); Nellie O’DEA; Lucy SYRED; Illie (Wilhelmina TOWLER (1892-?); Florence Emily CHRISTMASS (1894-1934); Sabie (Lucy Sabina RALPH 1893-c 1959); Charlie (Charles James RALPH 1890-1961); Ned EDMONDS; Ben (Benjamin Edwin Ralph 1894-1979); Bill EDMONDS; Reuben (Reuben John COUSINS 1893-1966); George Thomas TOWLER (c 1890-?)
Front Row: Doug (Vernal Douglas COUSINS 1895-1918); Eliza EDMONDS; Nell (Rose Ellen RALPH 1896-1988); Olive SYRED; Fred (Frederick George RALPH 1893-1966); Paddy O’DEA; Jack (John Dean TOWLER c1894-1965); Arthur Roland RALPH (1896-1918); Charlie SYred.

Historical information

In 1869 a private school was established on the Syred property in Tenth Road, Bejoording (owned by William Edward Syred and Frances Syred, nee Martin), in a mud-bat classroom constructed for the purpose.
In 1872 the school became a public school managed by the Central Board of Education and in 1875 closed.
(ref: the Syred's Cottage Conservation Management Plan by Laura Gray 2002)
The Syred family employed ticket of leave men as teachers and farm labourers.
(ref: inHerit - State Heritage Office of WA entry for Bejoording Homestead Complex and Central Square, place number 2585)
On 21 September 1896, the Bejoording Government School re-opened for a period of time.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-37-2001.1209

Item type

Photographs

Themes

Education

Width

17.4000 cm

Height or length

25 cm

Inscriptions and markings

.On rear of photo: in blue biro: Bejoording School; former accession numbers: CH 566 P; TCH 83:46A

Contextual Information

Copies of image in Shire of Toodyay collection also accessioned as 2001.1081 & 2001.1310
Identification of people in the photo kindly supplied by Shan Callow who also shared the following biographical information in 2022 via email:
"As you may be aware & not uncommon in these small rural communities, at the time of the photo, many of these children were related.
• Eva, Sabie, Ben & Arthur Ralph, children of Edward (1861-1902) & Flora nee Christmass (1866-1954) were all siblings.
• Charlie, Fred & Nell Ralph were their first cousins. They were all related through both sets of parents. Edward (Ned) Ralph who had died not long before this photo was taken was the elder brother of James Ralph (1866-1946), father of Charlie et al. Additionally their wives & children’s mothers, Flora & Julia Fanny, both nee Christmass, were sisters.
• Florence Christmass was a first cousin to both Ralph families as Ben’s mother Flora Ralph (nee Christmass) was the younger sister of Florence’s father William Christmass & additionally, Julia Fanny Ralph (nee Christmass) wife of James, & mother of Charlie, Fred & Nell Ralph, was also Flora & William’s younger sibling.
• The three Cousin’s children were first cousins of the Towlers through their father William John Cousins & his sister Emily (nee Cousins), wife of Thomas Jackson (Judd) Towler, & mother of the three Towler children listed.
• The Cousins & Ralph families were related through their grandmothers; Sarah Ralph (nee Dean) & Elizabeth Cousins (nee Dean) who were sisters."

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Historic significance

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