Letter written by Amy Maley to her teacher

Greenough July 18th '85
Dear Miss Millward
I am very sorry to disappoint you about going to the cemetery. Ada wants to go out for a ride, if I don't let her go I will be one of the worst in the world, the eldest must give in sometimes, but not always. If she goes out, of course I will have to mind the bar for a good while, it will be too late then to go, I hope you will not be angry with me for disappointing you, with love, must bring this short note to a standstill,
I remain your ever loving pupil Amy Maley.
P.S. Hope you will let us play cricket again next week, don't be cross dear teacher with me for asking you, as you said on Friday that no more cricket was to be played at school, forgive them all for quarrelling about the ball, give us another trial, and we will not quarrel any more, now Miss Millward you must not be angry with me for asking you, you know yourself that we all like cricket, what will we do now we can't play at school, forgive us all, think no more about the ball, you give us another trial and see what good children we will be, burn this please. I am half afraid to send this, but I will. So Goodbye dear Teacher, if you let us play again do not tell any one I asked for it. I don't think you will some how, or other, must now say Goodbye once again with love.
I remain your true & sincere pupil Amy Maley
Forgive us all, give us another trial and if we quarrel again stop it again.
Do not think me rude teacher for asking you when I heard you say that you would have no more cricket.
Send an answer by Harry please, "Yes".

Amy Maley was born in this house on 18 August 1869. She attended the North Greenough State School. Amy married Edward Goldsmith Whitfield at the Central Greenough Wesleyan Chapel on 4 April 1894. The marriage produced a son and two daughters. Irwin Munro was born in 1895 (killed in Palestine in 1918), Claudia Kniest was born 1900 and Mary Guerin in 1902. The couple lived in York. Edward died on 23 May 1935. Amy died at York on 14 April 1943 and is buried in the York Cemetery.

Florence Millward was born in London c1860 and came to the colony with her parents Sergeant-Major Samuel and Mrs Millward, in the ship, The Second Clare, in April 1863 and lived for many years around Perth, Fremantle and Rottnest, finally coming to Greenough where she taught school at North Greenough c1883-85 and at Georgina for many years. She married Charles Connolly, a farmer of Greenough. Florence died at Greenough in 1927.

The North Greenough State School was erected on the south-east corner of the intersection of Georgina and Gregory Roads (now Brand Highway) to accommodate children of the pensioners and settlers around the Bootenal and North Company Road areas. Built by J.S. Maley, the school was on reserve no. 275. The school closed during the early 1920s due to declining numbers of pupils. It is believed that the building was demolished in 1922 with much of the stone being used for road construction.

A copy of this letters was displayed in 2006-7 in an exhibition about the history of cricket in Western Australia prepared by the Western Australian Museum.