Muntham School was situated approximately 11 miles N of Merino on the Lower Sandford Rd. N of the Wannon River. The original school built on Quinberry Hill, served the families of the selectors on the rich land between the historic HENTY Estates of "Merino Downs" and "Muntham". In about 1903, just after "Muntham" Estates were divided and sold privately, the building was moved some 2½ miles nearer the river to a site which had formed part of a stud Jersey farm called Clover Flat. Muntham School closed in 1953. Eleven of its pupils had begun attending Merino Consolidated School, and others N of the river were provided with a bus service to Coleraine. The building was moved to Morgiana, where it gave several more years service as a school. Then in 1964 Morgiana obtained a new school and the old building was purchased by local citizens and moved to serve as a social centre. The Muntham site was purchased by the local people and there is now a recreation hall and grounds where so many farm children spent their school days.
Source: "Vision & Realisation", Vol 2, Education Department of Victoria.
List of Children in attendance at Muntham School ca 1894
LUERS, James 14.10 yrs Class IV Nearest school Sandford 3½ miles
LUERS, Eliza 12.2 yrs Class V C
KOCH, Frank 13.3 yrs Class IV Nearest school Sandford 3½ miles
KOCH, Louis 10.2 yrs Class IV C
FITZGERALD, Gerald 13.1 Class V C Nearest school Sandford 4 miles
FITZGERALD, Reginald 10.9 Class IV
FITZGERALD, Leo 8.3 Class II
ROULSTON, Albert 13.0 Class V Nearest school Dwyers Creek (River between)
WELSH, Ellen 12.10 Class IV Nearest school Carapook 4 miles
WELSH, John 10.6 Class III
WELSH, Norah 8.2 Class I
WELSH, Jane 6.1 ClassI
DOYLE, Sarah 10.2 Class IV Nearest school Carapook 4½ miles
DOYLE, Frank 8.9 Class II
DOYLE, Jack 8.9 Class II
DOYLE, Nicholas 7.3 Class I
DOYLE, Michael 10.8 Class III Nearest school Carapook 4¼ miles
DOYLE, Kate 7.11 Class I
DOYLE, Alice 6.9 Class I
There are a few other children – about three – who are between the ages of three and ten.
Inventory of School Property in SS 2112 Muntham on 24th October 1895
PROPERTY:
6 desks and seats: 3 forms
2 easels and 3 black boards
1 teacher’s desk and stool
25 ink wells
17 slates
Very old maps of Europe (2), Asia, Australia, America, Africa, The World (2), Chart of snakes
1 Luplan’s Agricultural Teacher
1 Geography of Australia and New Zealand
1 Sutherland’s Geography
1 Creighton’s History of England
1 Balfour Stewart’s physics
2 Morae Subjects 2 Drill Manuals
1 Manual Health and Temperance
1 Personal Care of Health
1 Morell’s Grammar
1 Needlework and Cutting out
KEYS AND LOCKS
There is neither lock nor key to the inner door of the residence, and no lock or key to the press in the master’s desk. With these exceptions the other locks and keys are in working order.
WINDOWS
With the exception of 3 cracked panes in the school room windows, the windows are secure.
TANKS
2 Tanks: the one at the residence has no tap to it.
M McDonald
SIGNATURES ON A PETITION FROM THE RESIDENTS OF MUNTHAM
TO THE HON W SLATER, CROWN LAW OFFICES, MELBOURNE.
MUNTHAM SS 2112. (PROV VPRS 795/P Unit 2440 School 2112)
THIS WAS TO ASK FOR HELP IN OBTAINING PERMISSION TO REMOVE THE STEPS OR GALLERY FROM THE SCHOOL FLOOR, THEREBY MAKING IT A LEVEL FLOOR FOR ENTERTAINMENTS, ETC. 8th April, believed to be 1915.
J.S. Heenan
J.W. Richardson
D. or W. Heenan Jr
A.P. Taylor
J.T. Ryan
A.J. Heenan
Maurice Heenan
F. Shady
H.D. Taylor
E.V. Heenan
R. Shady
B.A. Shady
Perua Doyle
L.M. Heenan
J.R. Shady Jr
A. McNaught
J.A. Taylor
Mrs J.H. Richardson
Mrs D. Heenan
Jas R. Shady Sr
Margaret Shady
Rachel Shady
Bruce Grinham
K.D.C. (looks like) Grinham
C.M. Grinham
L.E. Grinham
M.E. Doyle
M.D. Edwards
A. Edwards
E.M. Hodgetts
Thomas Taylor
E.A. Taylor
I.A. Gardiner (looks like)
W. Wellestag?? (2 more letters, very hard to read)
M. Gardiner
E. Heenan
Laurie Heenan
Peter Doyle
M. Heenan Jr
Leo Doyle
Mary Doyle
Jack Doyle
Robert Scanlan, Head Teacher, applying for Conveyance Allowance, 8th November 1915, for:
Annie McDonald DOB 27.1.1904 3 ¾ miles from school
Patrick McDonald DOB 13.7.1905 Do
Joseph McDonald DOB 6.7.1907 Do
(Known as Pony Allowance, and at that time about 4d per day, it helped towards the cost of keeping a pony to take children to school.)
