History Notes - Gulf Creek School

Gulf Creek School

It is thought that the first school on this site was 1886 and when this building was sold pre-1900, the teacher’s residence was built on the site in Sulphide Street. 
It is said that the first school house was sold to Angus Doolan.  Early pupils came from the Cook, Fenn, Green, Hockley, Geary, Bull, Agnesham (hotel, butcher shop) and Haynes families.
When George Briggs started school at Gulf Creek in 1910, Mr. Thompson was the teacher but only stayed a few months.  The school closed for a while and Mr. Robinson came the first term in 1911, next came Mr. Batey and he was so disgusted when he saw the place he tried for a transfer but had to stay and was still there when George left in 1918.
It was December, 1912 that George came first in his class and received a book for the prize and Mr. Batey said the date in the book would not appear for one hundred years.  The date was 12.12.12.
                     

Pupils at the school were:
John Pivetta, Les and Jack James, Mike Heyman, Les and Jim Witten, Alma, Tom, George and Sylvia Baldock, Maggie and Lucy Plank, Bertha, Eva, Bert, Ted and Ken Goldman,          Lola Lobsey (Mrs Dalton), Gladys and Alf Faint Cliff and Alma Honess, Thelma Grills, Dorrie Galvin.
Later the younger Goldman and Baldock children went to the school.

If children were daydreaming during class, Mr. Batey would make them go for a trot around a tree to wake them up.  One girl was sent for a trot and kept going, she trotted home and never went back to school.
Also pupils at the school were Ida Briggs (Mrs. Bert Goldman), Iris Briggs, Eileen Briggs (Mrs. Scotty White), Jack and Harry Briggs, Vi and Nigel Briggs.