The Early Years of APS

Written by Charlie Traill, Oliver Lalazari & George Kolliou, Year 6 Students and Digital Team Leaders. 

A Walk Back in Time

The Opening:

On September 11, 1925, a small local school first opened its gates to 179 children. Officially opened by the Minister of Education on December 11, 1925, the school welcomed now had 239 students and seven teachers. The first 'Head Teacher', Mr. Robert Keddie, led a staff of four female and three male teachers. Most students came from Essendon, Moonee Ponds West, Essendon North and Maribyrnong.

A Day at Aberfeldie Primary School in 1925:

Mondays began with an assembly where students saluted the flag, removed their caps, and pledged an oath: “I love God and my country; I honour the flag; I will serve the King; and cheerfully obey my parents.”

The school day was highly structured and repetitive. Students focused on core subjects such as Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic (similar to modern-day mathematics). After recess, scholars participated in physical education to promote health and fitness.

During lunchtime, most students went home or visited the local pie shop, while others stayed and played games like tag, hopscotch, cards and marbles. Football and gymnastics were particularly popular sports among students.

Class sizes ranged from 40 to 50 students, with boys and girls seated separately. Younger students wrote on slates, while older students used exercise books. The school, which then catered to students from Prep to Year 8, relied on student helpers for daily tasks such as cleaning the blackboard and duster, filling inkwells, collecting firewood for heaters, washing teachers' dishes, and carrying milk to classrooms. A bugle was used to signal the start of the school day, as there was no bell.

Discipline was strict, with corporal punishment being a common practice. Teachers used rulers and canes as forms of discipline.

Sport had always been a key aspect of Aberfeldie Primary School. In October 1926, Aberfeldie students participated in their first district athletics carnival, excelling in events such as the hop-step-jump, football race, rolling chase ball, and girls' running. That same year, the school requested funds for a library, but the cost of 15 pounds was deemed too expensive at the time.

The 1930s & 1940s:

Aberfeldie Primary School continued to thrive in sports, winning the district football premiership in 1935. However, World War II had a significant impact on the school. In 1939, most staff members left to serve in the war, and by 1941, two trench shelters were dug on the school grounds as a precaution against potential air raids. Students participated in air raid drills to prepare for possible invasions by other countries. 

During this time, school attendance was drastically impacted by bouts of Whooping Cough, Measles, Chicken Pox and Mumps. Community had always been at the centre of Aberfeldie Primary School. In 1944, The Father’s Club built a new school playground, including swings and monkey bars. The school also got a medical room, and because of this, it was now known as a 'first class school'. 

The 1940s ended with disastrous news, as the school was completely gutted by fire. At 4am on Monday 8th August 1949, the main school building at Aberfeldie burst into flames by an electrical fault. Firemen from Ascot Vale and Essendon attended the school, describing it as “the most disastrous fire for many years”. The whole building was gone, with just a brick shell left. The only thing that didn't burn down, was the staff room and army hut.  Graham, a student at the time, said that the Grade 6 students spent the days searching through the rubble for any surviving desks or books, but most of the school was gone. The estimated cost of replacing the equipment lost in the fire was one thousand, five hundred pounds. 

Stay tuned for the next edition of the newsletter which will outline a brief history of the 1950s-1970s.