NRS-16509 | Visitors' Book [Baerami Creek Provisional/Public School]

Full description

The Public Instruction Act, 1866 authorised special religious instruction by visiting clergymen and their delegates (Public Schools Act, 1866, s. 19), and regulations under the Act authorised members of the public to visit schools during ‘the hours of secular instruction’ to observe teaching methods, teaching material and equipment (Regulations adopted by the Council of Education on 27 February 1867, s. 84-85). The regulations required every teacher to keep a visitors’ book ‘in which visitors may enter their names and if they think proper any remarks. Such remarks the Teachers are by no means to erase or alter.’ (Regulations … s. 86).

The purpose of the visitors’ book was to create a record of the persons other than pupils or teachers who attended the school during business hours. Visitors’ books were divided into three columns – date, name and remarks. The remarks usually recorded the purpose of the visit which included religious instruction (by far the most usual purpose for visiting a school), school inspection, medical inspection, departmental officers visiting on business e.g. to inspect the buildings or equipment, and guest speakers. Occasionally visitors (particularly Inspectors) remarked briefly on the conduct or the ambience of the school.

The Visitors’ Book for Baerami Creek served two successive schools: the first Provisional School which operated from 1901 until 1917 [Agency no. 3615], and its successor [Agency no. 3616] which operated from 1920 until 1970, becoming a Public School in about 1943. The contents of the book now run from March, 1911 to May, 1917 and from July, 1920 to October, 1970, but as the pages of the volume are loose, it is possible that entries for the period 1901-1910 have been lost from the beginning of the book.