Kalkie State School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kalkie State School |
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Kalkie State School, 1994
|
|
| Location | 257 Bargara Road, Kalkie, Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s–1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1877–1937 |
| Architect | Queensland Department of Public Works |
| Official name: Kalkie State School | |
| Type | state heritage (built, landscape) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600971 |
| Significant period | 1870s (historical) 1870s–1930s (fabric school) 1870s–ongoing (social) 1930s (fabric residence) |
| Significant components | play shed, trees of social, historic or special significance, school/school room |
| Builders | Franz Kuhnel, William Starke |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Kalkie State School is a special place in Kalkie, Australia. It is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, which means it's an important historical site. The school was designed by the Queensland Department of Public Works and built in 1877 by Franz Kuhnel and William Starke. It became a heritage site on 21 October 1992.
Contents
The School's Early Days
The first building at Kalkie State School was built in 1877. A playshed, a covered area for play, was added in 1879–80. This was the very first state school in the Woongarra Scrub area. It is also the oldest school in the Woongarra Shire. The playshed is one of the oldest surviving ones in Queensland with a shingle roof.
The school was started for the farming families in Kalkie. This area grew in the early 1870s, about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Bundaberg. Many British, German, and Scandinavian families moved here. At first, they grew maize, but later they switched to sugar cane.
The school was a central place for the community. People held meetings there, including one in 1879 to discuss local government.
How the School Was Built
In April 1875, people in Kalkie asked for a school. Henry Easther, from the School Committee, offered a 5-acre (2-hectare) piece of land. This land was on a corner, perfect for a school.
In November 1876, the government approved the school. The community had to raise one-fifth of the building cost. This was hard for the farmers. The school committee also had to clear the dense scrub from the land.
The Department of Public Works asked for builders to construct the school and a teacher's house. The contract was given to Franz Kuhnel and William Starke from Bundaberg. They built a schoolroom and an attached house for the teacher. The building was made of timber and had a shingle roof. It opened on 11 February 1878.
The Playshed and Fencing
In October 1879, the School Committee raised money for fencing and a playshed. H Hunt of Bundaberg built the shingle-roofed playshed for £59. He also put up fences around the school grounds.
The playshed is still there today. Some of its roof shingles were replaced in 1970. However, the shingles on the southern end might be the original ones from the 1880s.
Growing Pains and Additions
By 1884, the school was very crowded. It was built for about 30 students, but 60 to 70 students were attending. The teacher even had to use parts of the house for classes.
More space was needed! A 20-foot (6.1 m) classroom extension was added. A long verandah, 50 by 8 feet (15.2 by 2.4 m), was also built. This included hat rooms and lavatories. This work was completed in 1884.
Special Trees at the School
The tall Cook Pines (Araucaria columellaris) near the playshed were likely planted in the 1880s. Students from the late 1890s remembered climbing these trees when they were about 5 metres (16 ft) tall.
These pines come from New Caledonia. They might have a connection to the many South Sea Islander people who came to the Kalkie area in the 1880s and 1890s. They worked on the sugar cane farms.
Changes Over Time
In 1906, the school building was moved away from the teacher's house. It was placed to the north, behind the playshed. A new verandah was added to the back of the classroom. More windows and a door were also added.
In 1934, a new teacher's house was suggested. Also, a new teachers' room, 15 by 12 feet (4.6 by 3.7 m), was added to the school in 1935. A southern wing was added later, probably in the 1940s. The current staffroom was added in the early 1960s. These additions are also part of the heritage listing.
The new teacher's house was built in 1937. It was a standard design with three bedrooms, a living room, and verandahs. This building is also heritage-listed. The first teacher's house from 1877 was sold and moved away in 1937.
Since the 1970s, more buildings have been added to Kalkie State School as the number of students grew. These newer buildings are not part of the heritage listing. In 2014, Kalkie State School had 308 students and 29 teachers.
What Kalkie State School Looks Like Today
Kalkie State School is on a flat piece of land at the corner of Bargara Road and Zielke Avenue. It includes the old school building, the playshed, groups of old trees, and a teacher's house.
The Old School Building
The old school building has two parts that cross each other. It is a two-storey timber building with a corrugated iron roof. The ground floor has storage and play areas. The first floor has classrooms, offices, and verandahs.
The classrooms have special ceilings and walls. They have different types of windows, including timber and aluminium ones.
The Historic Playshed
The playshed is south of the school building. It has a timber shingle roof with wide eaves. The roof is held up by ten timber posts. You can see the roof structure inside, as there is no ceiling. The floor is made of bricks, and there are benches around the edges.
Important Trees
There are many old trees at the school. Along Bargara Road, there are four fig trees, two Cook Pines, and one Camphor Laurel. Near the playshed, there are two more Cook Pines. There are also fig trees along Zielke Avenue.
The Cook Pines are very tall and thin. Along with the fig trees, they stand out and help people recognize the school from a distance. The playshed and Cook Pines are so important that they are even part of the school's emblem!
The Teacher's Residence
The teacher's house is at the eastern corner of the school site. It is a two-storey timber building with a hipped corrugated iron roof. It has verandahs on the front and side, which have been covered with insect screens.
Why Kalkie State School is Heritage Listed
Kalkie State School was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 for several reasons:
- It shows how Queensland's history developed.
Kalkie State School was the first state school in the Woongarra Scrub. It is the oldest school in the Woongarra Shire. The first classroom, the playshed, and the old trees show how the school and the Kalkie area grew in the 1870s and 1880s.
- It shows rare or special parts of Queensland's culture.
The playshed is a beautiful example of its kind. It is one of the oldest shingle-roofed playsheds still standing in Queensland.
- It shows the main features of this type of place.
The teacher's house is a good example of a "Type 5 Teacher's Residence" from between the two World Wars. This house, along with the first school building, playshed, and old trees, forms the heart of the school.
- It is beautiful.
The Cook Pines and fig trees are very impressive and help identify the school. The playshed and Cook Pines are also the main symbols of the school.
- It has a strong connection to the community.
The school has been a center for education and community activities for a long time in the Kalkie and Woongarra area.
