Crawney's schools

Ivins cottage at Crawney Pass in the 1900s.

Getting from Blandford to Timor Station involved a dog cart pulled by a mare called Blossom which was part plough horse breed and sulky mare. We crossed several creeks, Blossom had to drink from each one and stopped at several houses or cottages for water which were used by boundary riders and their families.

"We arrived at the place they reckoned the last teacher at stayed at 3pm — the owner was Mr and Mrs Ivin. The eldest son was George followed by Harley, Clarry, Ella, Vera and Jim — the last four attended school."

The Ivin cottage is now situated in Murrurundi and is called the Pioneer Cottage. It is exactly as Wiliam Birrell would have seen it, complete with newspaper insulation and interior fittings.

"The school was about three quarters of a mile up the road which ran along the Isis River, a tributary of the Hunter.

A plank about 12 or 15 foot long was the bridge to cross over to the school which stood about 40 yards higher than the river level.

It was my first bush school, a real bush school of one room about 14ft by 12ft, built of slab standing upright with the creavaces covered with strips of galvanised iron and a pitched roof also covered in gal.

There were two desks about 6ft long and 3ft wide built of hardwood and seats, all pit sawn.

There was a bookcase made from a large packing case with four shelves, reading books and a few supplementary readers, all dog-eared."

William left the Ivins early next morning with his bag of books, a wrapped lunch and the school key.

"When we got to the school a plank was put across the river, fastened with wire to a tree and I walked across for my first day of teaching!

As each child arrived they were introduced — Milton Bloyden (10) and his sister (5) had walked from the valley the other side of Ivins, a distance of about three miles.

William had 10 schoolkids including Jimmy and Betty McCoy who lived about five miles away at the bottom of the Liverpool Range and crossed the creek 13 times on their way to school."

Most kids had work books and slates which arithmetic was done. William over time replaced them with hard back exercise books.

"The first two days went by and I spent my first two evenings after tea in my own room writing home.

The dining room was large and contained a large table around which the whole family could gather. There was one glass bowled kerosene lamp with a homemade wick.

I was supplied with home-made candles sitting on a table made from a box.

The wick in the candle burned down and when light began to fade it was necessary to pick off the burnt section of the wick and the light brightened up."

The next day was Wednesday Anniversary Day 1910.

William was told how his "half time" schools had to be run. Weekly or part of each week for each school.

The two schools were separated by the Liverpool Range and nine miles apart!

The road between was a stock route — today it is road between Scone and Nundle straddling the mountains through Crawney Pass — still a dirt road but maintained by the Upper Hunter Shire Council rather than the sheep and cattle who used it.

"I was up bright and early next morning and left with my bag of books on my back and set off.

The first four miles were relatively easy going with 13 river crossing then walking over the range and back down the other side was a steep but shaded climb.

Across the creek a bearded man was ploughing a good big area of black soil country.

I introduced myself. His name was J. T. Ryan and was the owner and my board.

When he learned from where I had come and not been offered a horse he just said without comment, You won't be walking back!

Anything that looked less than a school would have been hard to imagine." To be continued …