WHEN THE EARTH MOVED AT WARRNAMBOOL

As we celebrate 150 years of Warrnambool Primary School, it is fascinating to look back at some of the remarkable events experienced by our school and the wider Warrnambool community.

On the morning of Tuesday, 7 April 1903, the people of Warrnambool experienced a significant earthquake.

It had been an ordinary autumn morning. Children had headed off to school, businesses had opened, and people were going about their daily activities. At eight minutes to 10.00am, however, a loud rumbling, described as sounding like cannons being fired, was heard across the town.

The ground then began to shake violently.

Houses rocked, water tanks moved on their stands, chimneys fell and crockery and bottles were smashed. At St John’s Presbyterian Church, a cross toppled from the building and crashed through the slate roof.

Down at the Hopkins River, anglers watched in disbelief as the river and its banks appeared to tremble, while boats shook violently on the water. At the Warrnambool Cemetery, monuments toppled and urns were knocked from their positions.

But perhaps the most frightening experience was for the children at Warrnambool State School, our own school more than 120 years ago.

As the earthquake struck, children rushed towards the doors, while some reportedly jumped from windows. In the upstairs infant room, a quick-thinking teacher, Miss Evans, closed the door to prevent the young children from rushing down the stairs in a panic. Frightened children cried out for their mothers.

The earthquake lasted only around eight to ten seconds, but to those experiencing it, it must have seemed much longer.

Of Warrnambool's population of approximately 7,000 people, it was reported that around 6,500 people rushed into the streets following the earthquake. The event left the community shaken—quite literally—with many people experiencing headaches, dizziness and considerable nervousness.

Imagine being a student at Warrnambool State School on that morning in 1903. The buildings, playgrounds and streets around our school would have looked very different, but the experience of being at school, surrounded by classmates and teachers, would have been surprisingly familiar. It’s lucky we practice emergency drills these days!

As part of our 150th anniversary celebrations, stories such as this remind us that our school is more than a collection of buildings. It is a living part of Warrnambool's history, with generations of students and teachers experiencing extraordinary moments together.

Adapted from “When the Earth Moved at Warrnambool” by Merron Riddiford, Western District Families, 14 July 2018. Historical images are courtesy of the State Library of Victoria and Museums Victoria Collections.

150 YEARS CELEBRATION

Celebrating 150 Years of Warrnambool Primary School!

Spread the word – our 150th Anniversary Celebration is coming!

Warrnambool Primary School is turning 150 years old, and we want to celebrate this incredible milestone with everyone who has been part of our wonderful school community over the years.

We invite past and present students, families, staff, former staff and members of the wider community to join us on:

Saturday, 17th October 2026

Commencing at 10:30am

It promises to be a fantastic day of celebration, memories and connection as we come together to recognise 150 years of learning, friendships and community at Warrnambool Primary School.

The day will include:

• 🎤 Guest speakers

• 🎓 Formal 150th Anniversary ceremony

• 🎨 Activities for children

• ☕ Morning tea

• 🍽️ Lunch

• 🏫 Open school

• 💭 Opportunities for reminiscing and reconnecting

• 📸 Historical photographs and displays

• 📚 Documents and memorabilia from the school's history

This is a wonderful opportunity to walk through the school, share stories, reconnect with old friends and classmates, look through photographs and documents, and remember the people and experiences that have helped shape our school over the past 150 years.

We need your help to spread the word!

Please share this message with anyone you think may have a connection to Warrnambool Primary School – past students, former staff, families, friends and community members. There may be people who haven't heard about the celebration yet, and we would love to see as many members of our school community as possible.

Our 150th Anniversary is a chance to celebrate not only our history, but also the wonderful school we are today and the exciting future ahead.

So mark the date, spread the word and come along for what promises to be a great day for our wonderful school!

150 years of Warrnambool Primary School – let's celebrate together!

PARENT SURVEY – WE NEED YOUR VOICE!

We are asking our wonderful families to take a little time to complete our Parent Survey.

We have distributed 180 surveys to families and are aiming for a minimum of 80 responses. Your feedback is incredibly valuable and helps us understand what we are doing well and where we can continue to improve.

If you have received the survey link, please take the time to complete it. We are hoping it will take no longer than 20 minutes to complete, and every response makes a difference.

Help Us Reach 80!

There is a little extra motivation for our classes! If we reach our minimum target of 80 completed surveys, we will organise a shared lunch for our classes to celebrate!

So, if you have received the link, please set aside some time to have your say.

180 surveys sent out.

80 responses needed.

20 minutes of your time.

One great shared lunch to celebrate!

Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback and for helping us continue to make Warrnambool Primary School an even better place for our students and families.

We’d love to hear from you!

YEAR 5/6 FIRST NATIONS LEADERS DAY

Eight enthusiastic senior students attended the First Nations Leaders Day at Deakin on Wednesday. Students participated in a fascinating music and culture session, lead by Brett Clarke and a fantastic possum skin cloak session, lead by Casey Harrodine. Casey provided possum skins for the children to work on and combined the skins to make one amazing, large cloak. Students mixed and interacted with staff and other senior students from schools in the area and enjoyed a delicious shared lunch. It was a great day, organised by Beyond The Bell.

FOOTY BREAKFAST & COLOURS DAY

Our traditional Footy Breakfast is coming up on Friday 18 September, from 7:30am.

It’s a fantastic way for our school community to come together and celebrate the end of what has been a very busy and successful term.

We would love some parent/carer and community volunteers to help with cooking, serving and cleaning up. If you can lend a hand, please contact the school office.

And, of course, don’t forget to wear your favourite footy colours. Tickets are only available on CompassTix.

We look forward to seeing everyone there for a great morning of food, fun and footy spirit.

Have a great weekend.

Peter Lee

Principal

Student Birthdays