The History of Red Cliffs Primary School:
In a true
sense, the history of the Red Cliffs Primary School is a history of the Red
Cliffs settlement. Certainly few schools can claim a more colourful beginning.
Many of the itinerant workers who arrived in the Red Cliffs area to assist in
the clearing of the land and building of channels etc had their families with
them and so the need for a school arose.
Mr James
Claringbull, a returned serviceman who was awaiting the allocation of a block,
wrote to the Education Department on February 20th 1921 and offered his services
as a head teacher. At the same time Mr B. Sharp of the State Rivers and Water
Supply Commission, offered the lease of the Recreation Hall for school purposes.
Both offers were accepted and on July 4th 1921, Red Cliffs Primary School was
opened with an enrolment of 31 children.
By 1923 enrolments had reached 145. School was still being conducted in the
Recreation Hall with three teachers employed and working under extreme
difficulties.
At a cost of
$14,150 a brick school consisting of six classrooms, cloak room, store room,
staff room and office and was occupied in July 1924. The official opening took
place on November 24th 1924, the Headmaster at the time being Mr T.B.Ward.
By 1927 the enrolment had reached 234. The first Mothers' Club was formed in
1929 and was responsible for the purchase of many of the school's resources.
In 1936 two
additional rooms were added to cope with the student population increase, a
wireless and library were two major improvements at this time. The school became
Red Cliffs Central School with grades Prep to Year 8.
In 1962 the students in Years 7 and 8 transferred to the newly built Red Cliffs
High School.
A change of name to Red Cliffs Primary School came in the late 1970's.
In 1992 Stewart Primary School merged with Red Cliffs Primary adding 54 extra
students to the enrolment figure.
The school now boasts very attractive grounds and facilities, which are well
cared for and very functional. Pupil numbers are presently around 165.