School rings in

By Jade Lawton
KOOWEERUP Primary School celebrates 125 years this year.
Over its history, the school has moved several times, flooded and been home to several memorable teachers.
Multiple generations of Kooweerup families have attended the school, and many will return to celebrate its milestone with a reunion on 5 November.
The first known move to establish a school in the ‘Parish of Yallock’ is in a letter dated 21 November 1878. Mr Charles Rossiter requested the Minister of Education build a school in the region.
In 1882, he sent another letter with a petition that was signed by seven parents on behalf of their 16 children.
The District Inspector recommended five acres of Crown Land be purchased for a school. Several blocks were suggested, but the site abutting John Bethune’s property was deemed most suitable.
The original school building cost £202-5-5 to build, including two attached rooms for the teacher to live in.
The school opened on 1 November, 1884, on the corner of Bethunes Lane and Kooweerup-Longwarry Road, as ‘State School No. 2629 Yallock’. The name was changed to Kooweerup in 1903.
The first head teacher was Eva Hurst, who paid £4 per year rent to live at the school. In the report for the Minister of Education for 1884-85, there were 11 boys and 11 girls on the roll, with Ms Hurst the only teacher.
The school then became known locally as “Mrs. McKenzie’s School” after Grace McKenzie, head teacher from 1888 to 1911. She is the longest serving head teacher, followed by Mr William Eason, who died ‘in office’ after 22 years in the job.
Memorial gates were erected at Kooweerup High School in his memory.
Another long serving head teacher was ‘Ted’ Duncan who was head for more than 14 years.
The original school building was then moved to Kooweerup, to the present site of the Secondary College on Rossiter Road, with classes starting at the new site in September 1910. It was renamed ‘SS No. 2629 Kooweerup.’
By 1915, the original building was too small for the 75 children now on the roll, so a new school building was constructed. The original building was again moved to Dalmore in May 1919, becoming ‘SS No.3952 Dalmore East.’ The name was changed to ‘Island Road’ in 1935.