In 1860 Smeaton residents appealed for funds to establish a school. Patrick Curtain, and his co-workers raised more than £150 plus a land grant (Allot A, Sect 2, Township of Smeaton). Head Teacher John Forbes, with assistant Zillah North, opened a timber school building which measured 36ftx18ft (11.0x5.5m) on 1 September 1861 with 44 children. Rising enrolment to 65 in 1868 made building alterations necessary. During 1870-1 a residence of four rooms was supplied and in October 1882 a 20ftx18ft (6.1x5.5m) classroom. In 1907 a new brick building accommodated 122 children. Among notable ex-pupils are Major-General Bridgeford, Frank Wright ( Musical Director of the London County Council), Alex Wright, (AKA singer Andre Navarre), and Les Brooks. (Visions and Realisations) In 2013 it was announced that Smeaton Primary School would close. The Hepburn advocate reported: "A Department of Education spokesman has confirmed the Smeaton Primary School council recently voted unanimously to recommend the school close at the end of the year. The school currently has 12 students with enrollments dwindling during the past few years and no prep students to its boost numbers or its future. The school’s imminent closure comes as the Smeaton community gears up for the town’s 175th anniversary which will be celebrated later this year. School council member Kristi Pedretti said it had not been a decision made lightly. “There are 12 students – only one in grade 6, about eight in grade 5, two in grade 3, and one in grade 1 – and there’s only one girl in the school,” she said. “So it was a combination of everything – having that big group through in grade 5, but no preps coming through, and only one girl. “It’s hard for parents to see a future in the school.” Ms Pedretti has a son in grade 6, Jack, and is herself a former Smeaton Primary School student." .1) Red brick building .2) Smeaton Primary School logo .3) Smeaton Primary School Bell .4) Smeaton Primary School pakyground, including concrete cricket pitch.smeaton, school, education, bell, cricket, state school no. 552

Photograph of the Smeaton World War One Honour Board on display in the Smeaton Primary School in 2013.smeaton, smeaton honour board, world war one, w. anderson, archibald, baker, balfour, barnes, boadle, bourke, boyes, branagan, bridgeford, w. bridgeford mc, t.l. barnes, v.t. brookes, brookes, h.h. campbell, cane, cowan, coulson, carmichael, curran, carling, curtis, davis, davies, dean, finlayson, flanagan, forrester, grigsby, godfrey, harros, hurn, jeffrey, jones, kilfoyle, marshall, mitchell, mckenzie, mcleaod, j.g. o'halloran, j. punshan, w.h. richards, riddiford, risk, rowland, g.e. waddingham, sheehan, waddingham, whatmore, wilson, wood, nurse anderson, nurse redman, anderson, redman

Photograph of the Werona World War One Honour Board on display in the Smeaton Primary School in 2013.werona honour board, c. andrew, h. andrew, j. cook, c. cook, g. croucher, w. cameron, r. edmonstone, g.c. hurley, p.j. hanley, t.e. hanley, t. pearson, h. tognolini, werona, werona state school

Photograph of the Lawrence School World War Two Honour Board on display in the Smeaton Primary School in 2013.lawrence, lawrence state school honour board, world war two, mckenzie, tipper, muller, risk, tennant, mcrorie, newton, wilson, richards, mulller, fitzgibbon, l.l. tipper, waaf, lawrence state school no 3275

The following names were on the Kooroocheang State School World War One Honour Board - A.H. White, C.H. White, L.C. White, H.E. White, G. Croucher, P. LaFranchi. L. LaFranchi, T. LaFranchi, W. Pickering, H. Pickering, J. McMahon, R. Hull, J. Neale, D. Williams, W. Risk, J. Waddingham, R. Waddingham, G.A. Heron, W.F. Heron, D. Dunstan.Photograph of the Kooroocheang State School World War One Honour Board on display in the Smeaton Primary School in 2013.world war one, kooroocheang state school, kooroocheang state school honour board, la franchi, kooroocheang, a.h. smith, smith, l.c. white, croucher, p. lafranchi, t. lafranchi, pickering, mcmahon, hull, kneale, risk, g. waddington, waddingham, heron, dunstan, williams, peter lafranchi

Photograph of the Smeaton State School World War One Honour Board on display in the Smeaton Primary School in 2013.world war one, smeaton state school, smeaton state school honour board, smeaton, nurse anderson, nurse redman, w. anderson, j.l. archibald, e.o. archibald, j.e.b. archibald, w. bridgeford, l. brooks, v. brooks, g. buchanan, a. barnes, t. barnes, t. bourke, w. boadle, j. boadle, b. branagan, w.s. bell, w.t. bell, j. bourke, d. curran, c. curran, s. curtis, l.e. coulson, r.e. carling, j. dean, c. daniels, f. daniels, l. davies, w. davis, e. davis, r. forrester, t. flanagan, p. fullarton, a. goodlet, a. goddard, a. hurn, e. harris, j. haris, g.c. hurley, w. jeffrey, a. kilfoyle, r. kirkpatrick, h. kuring, w.e. mitchell, f.t. mitchell, c. mehlert, n. mckenzie, h. mcleod, d. mcalpine, j. mcalpine, j. mcmahon, j.g. o'halloran, p. o'dea, p. pollard, w.h. richards, w. risk, r. risk, l.r. sheehan, m. stewart, f.x. slattery, g. spring, g.e. waggingham, a. boyes, r. dilena, t. dilena

Photograph of the Kangaroo Hills School No 881 World War One Honour Board on display in the Smeaton Primary School in 2013.world war one, kangaroo hills, kangaroo hills state school honour board, caligari, t. barnes, barnes, caligari, dalton, fletcher, hurn, monohan, smitth, waddingham, whatmore

Frank Wright, the owner of the photograph, is depicted in the image.Black and white photo of children and teacher in front of the Smeaton State School No. 552Front: Smeaton State School, No 552. 17/7/1912 Back: The Smeaton State School 15/4/1912frank wright, smeaton, smeaton state school, smeaton primary school, education

Born in 1911, Cecil Alan Sonsee lived at Springmount near Creswick, and taught natural history at the Ballarat Teachers' College for 30 years. His teaching career stretched over a 48 year period. He spent six years as a student teacher before reaching the position of first class teacher. He had the distinction of never attending a teachers' college, but spending half his teaching career training students to become teachers. At the time of his retirement Mr Sonsee said during his years at the college, "the training had changed from a one year course to a two year course, followed by a three year course, and now a four year course was offered." He recalled "in the early days all country schools had eight grades and a child finished with a merit certificate. Today [1976], children went to high schools from sixth grade and most of the country schools had disappeared.' Alan Sonsee spent 10 years on a television program on BTV6 answering questions sent by viewers regarding aspects of plant and animal live. Mr Sonsee was a life member of both Creswick and Ballarat Field naturalists Clubs. Alan Sonsee died in 1985.1) Foolscap Department of Victoria Ballarat newsletter titled Education 'Regional Views'. The newsletter depicts an image of Alan Sonsee and outlines his career at the time of his retirement on 20 July 1976. The author of the newsletter is unknown. .2) newspaper article on the retirement of Alan Sonsee dated 25 August 1976 (probably from the Ballarat Courier).1) Mr "Nature Man" Retires After a quiet celebration, Mr C.A. Sonsee, a well-known staff member at Ballarat State College, retired from the Victorian Education Department on 20th July, 1976. Alan was the longest serving primary teacher seconded to the State College (Formerly the Ballarat teachers' College), probably the best known and certainly one of the most highly respected educationalists in this region. Leaving Ballarat high School in 1927, he spent the following years teaching at Smeaton, Willowvale, Lawrence (originally called Jerusalem) and Kooroocheang primary schools. However, during the last twenty-nine years, his fame and his influence spread further and further afield. From 1947 to 1976, under a number of principals, Alan endeared himself to thousands of students undergoing their tertiary preparation for teaching. And thousands is the word! Hundreds and hundreds of practising teachers of all ages came to this great teacher again and again for assistance in understanding natural phenomena, a broad field in which he is an acknowledged expert. What undoubtedly made him so accessible to the young and the no-so-young alike was his ready willingness to share with them is rich experience. The warmth of his nature, his kindliness, his dry humour enriched and enlivened the gifts he lavished liberally on all who needed help. Nor did he spare himself in the process. During his ling period of service to teachers, students and some two generations or so of school children, Field Naturalists also, within and well beyond Ballarat, profited from his participation and guidance. A car trip from Ballarat to Lancefield was made unforgettable by Alan's running and lively commentary; the time spent with him viewing and fossicking in an aboriginal flint area is still vivid, thouhg many moons have waxed and waned since then. And who can ever forget his palcid, home;y handling of "Mr nature Man" programmes on BTV 6 for over ten years? his name became a hose-hold word over an existence viewing area in Western Victoria - as his mail bag showed. Mr T. Turner was closely associated with C.A.S. for some twenty-three years as colleague and college principal. Recently tome said, "Alan was highly esteemed by staff and students, When I saw him lecturing I would be struck by the depth and breadth of his knowledge, and by the smooth, almost deceptively simple way he shared what he knew with others. I remember, too, his consideration for the views and the feelings of others; for the tolerance and range of his understanding of human nature. But, above all else, I remember him as a friend." All who know him in any way at all will want to say, "Thanks you, Alan, for everything you did for us. Thank you, Alan for what you are."alan sonsee, ballarat teachers' college, ballarat state college, education, teaching, ballarat field naturalists, creswick field naturalists, aborigines, lancefield flint, smeaton primary school, willowvale primary school, lawrence primary school, jerusalum primary school, kooroocheang primary school, nature studies, mr nature man