Wauchope District Historical Society has not been able to find anywhere to relocate the 100-year-old public school building it was hoping to save.
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The building at Wauchope Public School in Waugh Street is due to be demolished as part of a major upgrade at the school. The work will provide new and improved facilities funded by the NSW Government, including 13 new classrooms and will allow the school to cater for its 750 students.
Wauchope District Historical Society wanted the heritage-listed school building, Block Six, to be preserved for its historical significance.
They said it was erected during the First World War when people needed hope, and that Wauchope, formerly known as Timbertown, has very few historical buildings left.
Last month, the State government offered the society the chance to relocate the old Block Six building proposed for demolition at Wauchope Public School, but with a tight deadline, and a cost of $425,000.
Extensive preparation work would have been needed, including removing the existing asbestos eaves lining, demolishing the chimneys and dismantling the roof.
The historical society would have been responsible for all costs associated with preparation, transport and re-establishment of Block Six, costed at $425,282. All other costs associated with the insurances, statutory approvals, fees, levies, refurbishment and future operations at the alternative site would also become the full responsibility of the WDHS.
The deadline was August 24 2018, this Friday, but after a meeting last week, the historical society admitted defeat.
Outgoing historical society president, Jean Hegarty, said the meeting was as expected.
“I had to say that no miracle had occurred and we had nowhere to relocate the building,” said Mrs Hegarty.
The society had hoped that the Gateway association would put it on land north of the railway station near the historic stationmaster’s cottage which is being turned into a museum. However, their committee decided it wouldn’t be possible.
“Various other avenues haven’t turned up anyone who would be interested in relocation for any use, let alone community use. It is very disappointing and saddening,” said Mrs Hegarty.
“NSW Education offered WDHS the school to move just five weeks ago, with a cut-off date at the end of this week. Even if we had had some land organised, there is no way we could have done the paperwork required, let alone sourced funding and accomplished the move.
“They termed it ‘gifting’ us the building. It wasn’t a gift at all. It was obvious we would not be able to do anything at all in the time frame specified. The team at last week’s meeting acknowledged as much.
“In other words, the Wauchope community and especially that part interested in conserving our heritage, has been basically ignored and kept in the dark for 90% of the planning process for this. Alerted even two years ago, we may have been able to do something. Too little too late,” she said.
The heritage consultant engaged as a requirement of the DA agreed with the historical society that in the (almost certain) event of demolition, it would be very desirable for the original two-thirds of the building to be taken apart and stored flat for re-assembly if or when the historical society gets some land.
The society hopes that will happen, and say that for everything to end up in a pile of rubble would be a senseless waste.
“This wouldn’t include the fireplaces and chimneys; in fact the HC, Sue Singleton, proposes using bricks in an interpretive way in the landscaping to memorialise the historic building. Nor would it include the roof,” said Mrs Hegarty.
A representative of the Men’s Shed had been invited by the school principal and he expressed the willingness of the Shed to re-use any timber that could be sent their way.
The historical society has a document from the Shire Gazette in 1941, where a Wauchope Public School ‘old boy’, Mr Stan Pepper addresses pupils about the school’s history.
Mr Pepper said that an Aboriginals’ camp was situated about where the present school building stands. Some of the names were Bunyah Jimmy, Darby, Broken Arm Jimmy, Combo and Ranji.
They planted bamboo growing in Mrs J Suters’ yard. Bunyah Jimmy was very old, and once he told Mr. Pepper that he well remembered the first shipload of convicts coming to Port Macquarie.
He said that the indigenous people were greatly scared as the sailing boat crossed the bar and entered the river. They thought it was a huge bird, and as it might attack them, they made haste to the New England ranges.
Mr Pepper said he often accompanied Aboriginal people into the bush, and helped in making bark canoes, or 'bung kooyong's,' as they would call them. Bung means bark, and kooyong canoe. They called an ironbark tree dickerabung; and grey-gum walunbung.
They taught Mr Pepper and his brother to use the womerah for spear throwing, and the art of boomerang throwing. They also learnt enough of the Aboriginal language to make themselves understood.