Historical information
The School Paper, a monthly publication of the Victorian Education Department, was first introduced into Victorian schools in 1896 for Class III, in response to a perceived need for locally edited and published school books on Australian topics. A School Paper for the Fourth Class was published in June 1897, and a third for the Fifth and Sixth Classes in September of the following year. The readers were core reading for school children and contained local content and material written by local authors.
The School Papers were compulsory reading for children until 1928 when the Victorian readers became compulsory and the School Papers supplemented them. The three grades of School Papers were renamed in the late 1960s to become Meteor, Comet and Orbit. These editions were owned by Eunice Russell nee Gray.
Physical description
11 paper children's monthly magazines held by string inside a faded brown cardboard The School Paper cover. The cover has a printed light brown square in the middle printed with the The School Paper title, a floral outline symbol underneath, and space for Name Grade and School which are all written in by the owner. The spine has light brown tape binding it. Inside are 11 magazines (January is missing, because the children did not attend school in this month due to extended school holidays) dated February to December. At the top of each front cover of all the editions is printed, Education Department Victoria Australia, with School Paper Grades 111 and 1V surrounding an outline of a lyrebird in the middle. A photograph on each cover depicts some sort of overseas or Australian life or activity. Each one also has the edition number of the paper eg, No. 590. Price 1d. Feb 1, 1949 all the way through on each edition in the set to Dec.1, 1949. Each paper may include stories, poems, plays, songs, comic strips suitable for the age group. J Hart is written in gret pencilPp.16 in each copy.
Inscriptions & markings
On the front of the brown cardboard cover is handwritten in blue ink for each section: Name - 'Fay J. Hart ', Grade - '1V', School - 'No 1033 Wandin Yallock'. 'J Hart' is written in grey pencil at the top of June, Aug, Nov. front covers.
