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Dundas School
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HistoryAdvocacy for a school at Dundas began on the 22nd of June 1886 when a public meeting was held at Richard Varley’s home and a Committee of Edwin Hine (chairman), William Spann (treasurer), and Richard Varley (secretary) was formed. However, the Hines and Varleys children were already attending a private school 2.5 miles away at Mount Brisbane run by William Seely. The Committee was obliged to select a site further away and closer to Northbrook and this suited Ralph Stewart, George Hay and James Brown of Northbrook. Two years later, the residents agreed on a central location near Northbrook creek.
The Department recommended that the slab hut (19 by 14 by 8 feet) with pine floor and shingle roof, offered by R. Stewart, be accepted. The residents also built the school furniture; the selectors had all been affected by the drought and, as their country was quite mountainous, there was little agriculture and the families were timbergetters. The school opened in January 1889 with Miss G.B Brightwell as the teacher. After the 1893 floods, attendance fell rapidly, and the school was closed on the 30th of September 1893.
It reopened on the 19th of September 1898. As Ralph Stewart had sold his property to Richard O’Reilly, there was no longer any female teacher accommodation and the new teacher, Miss Jessie Hunter, had to ride over ten miles a day to and from extremely trying teaching conditions. The buildings did not have a caranda and had wooden shutters only for windows. Water had to be carried to the school from the creek. By holding socials and collecting local subscriptions, Miss Hunter raised money for a tank and a caranda in March 1906. In addition, the school was on private land and there was no public road, so the children had to walk through Fluck’s herd of cattle each day to get to school.TypeSchoolsTownsSomerset Dam & SurroundsReferencesDundas School Factsheet. Esk: Somerset Regional Council. (Held at Esk Library).
The Department recommended that the slab hut (19 by 14 by 8 feet) with pine floor and shingle roof, offered by R. Stewart, be accepted. The residents also built the school furniture; the selectors had all been affected by the drought and, as their country was quite mountainous, there was little agriculture and the families were timbergetters. The school opened in January 1889 with Miss G.B Brightwell as the teacher. After the 1893 floods, attendance fell rapidly, and the school was closed on the 30th of September 1893.
It reopened on the 19th of September 1898. As Ralph Stewart had sold his property to Richard O’Reilly, there was no longer any female teacher accommodation and the new teacher, Miss Jessie Hunter, had to ride over ten miles a day to and from extremely trying teaching conditions. The buildings did not have a caranda and had wooden shutters only for windows. Water had to be carried to the school from the creek. By holding socials and collecting local subscriptions, Miss Hunter raised money for a tank and a caranda in March 1906. In addition, the school was on private land and there was no public road, so the children had to walk through Fluck’s herd of cattle each day to get to school.TypeSchoolsTownsSomerset Dam & SurroundsReferencesDundas School Factsheet. Esk: Somerset Regional Council. (Held at Esk Library).
CONNECTIONS
SubjectsAgricultureTimbergettersCattleCollectionSchoolsRelated PlacesDundasMount BrisbaneNorthbrookNorthbrook CreekRelated PeopleRichard VarleyEdwin HineWilliam SpannWilliam SeelyRalph StewartGeorge HayJames BrownG.B BrightwellRichard O’ReillyJessie HunterFluckAddress Dundas, Queensland, 4306, AustraliaGeo Coordinates[1]
Administration
SL IdentifierPLA0016
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Marrianne Derain, Dundas School. Somerset Stories, accessed 01/04/2026, https://somerset.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/38