Rowlands Creek School
He first schooling in Uki was in a barn, where Mrs Georgina Marshall and her sister, Mrs Huggins taught their children in a barn on the Marshall farm. Soon other parents wanted their children to learn so the wheels were put in motion for a school in the area.
"..every locality, however remote, and every family, however humble, will have the ameliorating influences of education brought within their reach" - Henry Parkes
In 1894, a half-time school was officially established. Half-time schools were very small primary schools in remote and sparsely populated rural districts. They usually shared roving teachers.
The schools of Rowland’s Creek and Byangum were looked after by Thomas Campbell. He travelled the five miles between the school at Rowlands Creek and Byangum on horseback, spending a week at each school.
Thomas Campbell also kept a punishment book, with Henry Mills and Vernon Roberts notable for receiving the most cane strokes, four each for impertinence and laziness, respectively. In March 1900 when Byangum School was being raised to a Provisional school, the teacher Thomas Campbell, was transferred to a Public School. The children must have been quite relieved at his departure!
‘Evidently he [Mr McCarthy] took the work on too cheaply, and endeavoured to rush over it in an imperfect manner’. - Inspector Peter Cornish
While the children waited for the new school to be built, classes continued in the Marshall’s barn, moving to Mr Sweetnam’s barn after some poor work on the new school by poor the most unfortunate Mr McCarthy delayed the move. According to Inspector Cornish, the drop toilet was too close to the school.
The 20 children in attendance then moved half a mile away to the current well-known location in the centre of Uki. The school room had 4 desks 7 feet 6 inches long, 4 benches, a blackboard an easel.
