Kolor South State School (School No. 3701)

Full description

Kolor South State School (School No. 3701) was a co-educational school near the town of Penshurst in the Southern Grampians region of Victoria. 

The first application for the establishment of a school was received by the Education Department (VA 714) in 1907 but due to a lack of suitable land in the area for purchase, the Department chose to delay opening a school. Following more petitions in 1910, the Department leased two acres of land on the corner of Kolor Lane and Penshurst-Warrnambool Road for 10 years at a price of £2 per year in January 1911. A 24ft x 16ft wooden building was removed from the Bootapool State School (School No. 1545) to the site in July 1911. Accordingly, Kolor South State School was opened on 26th of October 1911. 

The Public Works Department (VA 669) informed the Department that the site was waterlogged and will later “become a veritable quagmire”, and noted by the District Inspector and the Department of Public Health (VA 2904) as an urgent issue. Works were competed to grade and drain the site in April 1912.

Due to low enrolments, the school was ordered to be closed under a system of conveyance in December 1912. However, the school correspondent wrote to the Department explaining that the low enrolments were due to flooding in the area, leaving students unable to travel to school. In light of this, it was decided that Purdeet State School (School No. 1223) and Kolor South were to be worked part-time from 19th February, 1916.

Nevertheless, with only 8 pupils attending, the school closed at the end of April 1917 and Purdeet State School was made full-time.

In 1920, Australian Farms Co. purchased land surrounding the school, intended to be divided for the Soldiers Settlement Scheme. In July 1921, the Department purchased the 2 acres of land where the school had been situated from Australian Farms for £32.

The influx of new settlers led to the school re-opening in January of 1922 with an enrolment of 13 pupils. However, by the end of 1926 enrolments had decreased to 9 students and the Department decided to close the school once again.

In July 1928, the house of a local resident, Edgar Huf, burned down and he and his family were given permission to live in the two rooms in the school building until the end of October that year.

The school officially closed by Minister’s Order, dated 1st June 1929.

In 1931, the school building was removed from the site and relocated to Ardonachie State School (School No. 1169). 

The site was leased at 1 pound per annum starting September 1932 to local Reinhold Linke, whose property was adjoining the site. This continued until his death in October 1942, when his son, Antonius Linke continued leasing the site. In March 1953, the Education Department sold the land to Antonius Linke.