Historical information

Chatham Primary School opened in August 1927 following local pressure for an additional school. Balwyn, Mont Albert and Surrey Hills schools were all experiencing overcrowding following population growth after WW1.

Physical description

A vertical file of information related to Chatham Primary School:
1. Correspondence regarding establishment of the school – all are copies:
• Letter from Amy Brown to Secretary of Chatham School Committee (undated) relating to correspondence regarding the establishment of the school
• Letter from Education Department to Mr. A.R. Brown, 17.5.1923.
• Letter from Department of Public Works to Mrs. Amy R. Brown, 2.10.1923.
• Letter from Education Department to Mr. A.R. Brown, 2.11.1923.
• Letter from A. Brown to Education Department ?, 7.11.1923.
• Letter from E.W. Greenwood, MLA, State Parliament House to Mr. A.R. Brown, 8.11.1923.
• Letter from E.W. Greenwood, State Parliament House to Mr. A.R. Brown, 19.11.1923.
• Letter from Department of Public Works to Mrs. Amy R. Brown, 5.12.1923.
• Letter from Education Department to Mrs. A. Brown, 8.12.1923.
• Letter from A. Brown to Mr. Greenwood, 26.7.1925.
• Letter from E.W. Greenwood, State Parliament House to Mrs. A. Brown, 14.3.1925.
• Letter from E.W. Greenwood, State Parliament House to Mrs. A. Brown, 15.7.1925.
2. Letter from E.W. Greenwood, State Parliament House to Mrs. A. Brown, 16.11.1925.
3. Letter from Department of Public Works to Mrs. A. R. Brown, 10.11.1926.
4. Letter from E.W. Greenwood, State Parliament House to Mrs. A. Brown, 2.3.1923.
5. Letter from E.W. Greenwood, State Parliament House to Mrs. A. Brown, 3.6.1927.
6. Letter from E.W. Greenwood, State Parliament House to Mrs. A. Brown, 29.6.1927.
7. 2 Mr. Harbert’s account for Shelter Shed, Chatham State School, (undated), (1 page).
8. 4 copies of newspaper cuttings:
9. ‘Masts tell Edina’s history’, Herald, 4.5.1931,
10. ‘Edina to have holiday on 80th birthday’, Argus, 4.5.1934,
11. ‘Edina’s birthday tomorrow’, Age, 4.5.1934,
12. ‘Old lady of the sea has a birthday’, Star, 4.5.1934 (1 page).
13. ‘The story of the steamship “Edina” a wonderful veteran of the seas’, The Meccano Magazine, A.R. Prince, December, 193 ? (1 page).
14. ‘Ponsford and schoolboys’, (paper and date unknown), (2 pages).
15. Program for ‘Trial by jury’, 16.11.1929 (1 page).
16. ‘What was the joke that the Governor told?’, paper unknown, 5.5.1931 (1 page).
17. ‘History in school flag’, paper and date unknown (1 page).
18. Lists of girl and boy dux 1928 – 1944 (1page).
19. Chatham School 4314 notes (undated) (3 pages).
20. Extracts from Box Hill Reporter, 1927-9, from Alan Holt collection (1 page).
21. Empire day celebrations in Surrey Hills in 1930s, notes from Matt Bowen, 1983 (1 page).
22. Extracts from Box Hill Reporter 1927-8 (1 page).
23. Vision and realisation, 1973 Education Department : Port Phillip Eastern Region: 4314 Chatham notes by H.H. Singleton (1 page).
24. ‘Bell has historic appeal’, paper unknown, c. 1985 (1 page).
25. Background information on the SS 'Edina' bell, Adrian Peniston-Bird, Principal of Chatham Primary School, 1982 (1 page).
26. ‘It’s there for another fifty years’, October, 1985. See also ‘Chatham past and present, a patchwork of people’. (1 page).
27. ‘Miss Marie George’, SHNN No. 40, June/July, 1989 (1 page).
28. ‘Chatham Primary School – a community within the community’, SHNN No. 56, Feb/March, 1992 (1 page).
29. ‘Chatham Primary School – another exciting year begins’, SHNN No. 68, Feb./March, 1994 (1 page).
30. ‘Chatham plans a big reunion’, SHNN No. 77, Aug./Sept. 1995 (1 page).
31. ‘In search of the past’, Progress Press, 15.5.1996 (1 page).
32. ‘Chatham primary’, SHNN No. 82, June/July, 1996 (1 page).
33. ‘Happy Birthday, Chatham Primary’, SHNN No. 84, Oct./Nov. 1996 (1 page).
34. Chatham School Fathers Club, SHNN No. 83, Aug./Sept. 1996 (1 page).
35. Notes by Doug Iversen, 18.7. year unknown, (1 page).
36. Advertisement for Chatham Primary School celebrating 70 years: ‘Take a walk down memory lane’, 10.9.1996, paper unknown (1 page).
37. Chatham Primary School invitation to 70th year celebration – Sat. 19.10.1996 (1 page), AND Back to Chatham (1 page).
38. Flyer: Chatham Primary School Reunion Celebrating 70 years 19.10.1996 (1 page, 2 copies).
39. Program ‘Welcome to Chatham Primary School No. 4314 70th celebration’, undated (1 page, 2 copies).
40. Chatham History trail, undated (1 page).
41. Drawing of Chatham Primary School, David Williams, 1995 (1 page).
42. ‘Seems like yesterday’ 1998, paper unknown (1 page).
43. ‘Schools and the environment’, SHNN No. 98, Feb./March, 1999 (1 page).
44. ‘School praises retiring head’, by Kate Morris, 19.6.2000, paper unknown (1 page).
45. “Chatham’s class of ‘30” by Meg Freeman, Progress Press, c. July, 2000 (1 page).
46. ‘Recalling a class act’, Progress Press, c. August, 2000 (1 page).
47. List of students enrolling in 1930 (2 pages).
48. ‘Boy in man’s shoes’, Progress Press, 21.8.2000 (1 page).
49. Chatham Foundation Day Lunch invitation 31.7.2000, (with contact details of former students on the back, written by Ken Hall) (1 page).
50. ‘An invitation – Chatham Primary plans for its 75th birthday’, SHNN No. 118, June/July, 2002 (1 page).
51. 75th birthday assembly – August 1st 2002 (1 page).
52. ‘Chatham lands special garden’ (paper and date unknown, possibly Progress Leader) (1 page).
53. ‘Chatham Primary celebrates specialist programs’, SHNN No. 184, June/July 2013 (1 page).
54. ‘City’s sustainable schools awarded this month’, Boroondara Bulletin, April, 2013 (1 page).
55. ‘Chatham Primary walks to win’, SHNN No. 189 March/April 2014 (1 page).
56. ‘School builds pathway to greater sustainability’, Progress Leader, 15.9.2015 (1 page).
57. ‘Schools embrace need for class action’, Age, 7.11.2016 (1 page).
58. Advertisements for 2017 grand fair 4th March, 2 designs
(3 pages including 2 copies of one).
50. A history of Chatham Primary School, golden jubilee edition 1977 (9 pages with covers).
51. Photo of Mrs. Frances Le Couteur receiving a gift at Chatham Primary School, golden jubilee 1977 (1 page).
52. ‘Thank you’ letter to editor from Mrs. Frances Le Couteur (paper unknown), 1977 (1 page).
53. Letter from Chatham School No. 4314 to Mrs. Ethel Cerini, 10.2.193 ? (1 page).
54. Programme for concert held in the 1930s (source possibly Jocelyn Hall) (1 page).