Hill River School

Near Clare in the Mid North of South Australia

Hill River       1937 and 1938

There are no letters from Hill River and very little information.  But many photos.

I do recall her pointing out the old shearing shed which had been upgraded to be a school premises. It was on the road from Clare to Burra and up in the Clare hills. The old stone buildings are the connection I make with the Hill River photos

She enjoyed her time at this school and loved the musicality of the pupils.  The fife band was a delight and held in high esteem by the community.

Here is the fife band in their very snappy uniforms. Maybe not all the members were present for this photo

Hill River school band, shearing shed in the background
This is a much larger group. And very impressive

The school children, Mary Moyle the teacher posing with them. This is a large class for a one teacher school. But I think it is the Hill River class. After all the band has at least 10 members.  The little girl in the tartan skirt appears appears in several photos. As does the little girl in the front.

I wonder if the children on the right are actually from Burnbrae???  The girls in uniform look to be ready for High School.  But the building looks like Hill River.

I wish I could check these photos with Mum .  She would even have told me their names.

I would welcome any comments from people who can solve this dilemma.

Her teaching report from the inspector (A W P) who visitied Hill River on two occasions is outstanding.

I understand 25 was the maximum possible for teaching points .

The enthusiasm of the fife band is a good indicator of the positive effect Mary had as their teacher.  Her love of music  – the playing of  instruments and singing was an important base for her teaching .

There was a reunion in 1988 and Mary attended.

Many were delighted to see her again and she was so pleased to see them herself…..51 years later.

This is a surprising number of students.  Mum would have taught about 20 of them I think. I think they are all ex students who had attended over the several years that the school was open.

It seems Mary was the only ex teacher present.

She loved School Reunions.  It was always a positive experience for everybody.