{"id":2415,"date":"2020-12-06T14:38:10","date_gmt":"2020-12-06T04:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=2415"},"modified":"2020-12-06T16:14:55","modified_gmt":"2020-12-06T05:44:55","slug":"crafers-primary-school-history-and-mystery","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=2415","title":{"rendered":"Crafers Primary School – History and Mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Text: John McGregor<\/em>
Images: John Nielsen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Francis Whibley was a well-known member of the Crafers\/Stirling area a century ago, especially for his horticultural knowledge. Employed for a time by the Stirling Council, he did much work on the gardens along the Main Street, helping to give Stirling its reputation as a beautiful village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the 1920s, David\u2019s son, Godfrey, was a student at the then Crafers School on Cox Creek Road, and David was the Secretary of the School Committee. We are incredibly lucky that all of the official letters that he wrote, were written in a carbon book and those carbon copies survive.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A sample page from David Whibley’s Secretary’s Record Book<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Early in the 1920s it was obvious to the locals that the School was inadequate: the rooms were hot in summer and cold and damp in winter, the playground was too small and the rain water tanks often ran dry in summer.  There was frequent correspondence between the Committee and bureaucrats and politicians.  After a while, David began to get the idea that he was being given the run-around, and he let his frustrations be known, in one letter informing the then Minister of Education that he was no better than his predecessor from the Opposition! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There had been some disagreement among locals about where a new School should be sited as some wanted it on its present site on Piccadilly Road, while others thought that too close to the dangers of the Council quarry. The former obviously won out and the new School was built, but the saga has an intriguing ending.\u00a0 One of David\u2019s last letters is an apology for something he had said to a woman who, I guess, was another Committee member, in a discussion about the spending of some money. David could not support the Committee\u2019s decision, and submitted his resignation. This was just shortly before the new School was opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The School Bell at the “new” Crafers Primary School, now retired.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

At the old School, the beginning and end of the school day was indicated by the ringing of a hand bell.  This was replaced by a larger one reputed to have come from the wreckage of the ship \u201cThe Star of Greece \u201c, although there seems to be no evidence of this. In recognition of David\u2019s service to the Committee, he was presented with the original handbell. In 1928 the larger bell went to the new site where it did sterling service until replaced by an electric siren.  It still hangs at the School near the steps leading up from the lower level to the main teaching block.

The handbell is on display in a secure glass case in the School Library, along with David\u2019s carbon book of correspondence, and typewritten copies of the letters. There is a mystery associated with David Whibley\u2019s carbon book:  After his letter of resignation, the next several pages have been cut out…so, did he write something in anger which he later thought better of, or did he write something which someone else, at a later stage, decided would be better not being made public? There\u2019s a mystery that will never be solved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Do you have memories of Crafers Primary School as a student, parent or teacher or as a local resident, or do you have knowledge about David Whibley? Contact us at mldhsgateways@mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au<\/a> or drop into the History Centre at the Coventry Library, 63 Mount Barker Road, Stirling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More about Crafers Primary School<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Text: John McGregorImages: John Nielsen David Francis Whibley was a well-known member of the Crafers\/Stirling area a century ago, especially for his horticultural knowledge. Employed for a time by the Stirling Council, he did much work on the gardens along the Main Street, helping to give Stirling its reputation as a beautiful village. During the 1920s, … Continue reading “Crafers Primary School – History and Mystery”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PaNLq6-CX","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2039,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=2039","url_meta":{"origin":2415,"position":0},"title":"David Whibley & Crafers Primary School","date":"June 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: John McGregorImages: xxx David Francis Whibley was a well-known member of the Crafers\/Stirling area a century ago, especially for his horticultural knowledge. Employed for a time by the Stirling Council, he did much work on the gardens along the Main Street, helping to give Stirling its reputation as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2913,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=2913","url_meta":{"origin":2415,"position":1},"title":"Crafers Girls’ Club","date":"April 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: John McGregor and Janet Chambers Image: Janet Chambers Crafers Girls Club badge In the early 1950s, Peggy Cossick (whose husband Arthur owned and operated the Crafers grocery store) convened a committee of women whose daughters attended Crafers School with a view to forming a club to give the girls\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/20220314_185457a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2100,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=2100","url_meta":{"origin":2415,"position":2},"title":"Recollections of Sport in past times","date":"July 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: John McGregorImages: SLSA, MLDHS My grandfather, William McGregor, and his two brothers, Jack and Davie, all played cricket for Crafers in the late 19th century. Their home ground was Atkinson\u2019s paddock, behind the butcher\u2018s shop, and which was grandly called the Crafers Oval. To me the term \u201cOval\u201d suggests\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/015-Atkinsons-Paddock-C1890a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2347,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=2347","url_meta":{"origin":2415,"position":3},"title":"Mount Lofty (Crafers Summit) Railway Station","date":"October 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text : Chris Chardon Images: MLDHS and as described THE MOUNT LOFTY RAILWAY STATION The Mount Lofty Railway Station was originally named the Crafers Summit Railway Station. The Act of Parliament, to provide a line of railway from Adelaide to Nairne, was assented to on 30th November 1878. Below is\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/crafers-summit.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3331,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=3331","url_meta":{"origin":2415,"position":4},"title":"Local Road Names","date":"April 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: John McGregor Images:SLSA, MLDHS \u00a0 Some local roads were named after people with some connection with the area : i e\u00a0 Hardy Road named after the businessman of fluctuating fortunes who built Mount Lofty House, Arthur\u00a0 Hardy, and Wright Road named after\u00a0 the Wright family who had property along\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/B-20825.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":701,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=701","url_meta":{"origin":2415,"position":5},"title":"Learning & Education","date":"March 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Return to Gateways Topics Stirling East Primary School Memories St Catherine's School at Stirling The Mylor Primary School est. 1894 The Crafers Girls' Club Crafers Primary School Memories Heathfield gets its High School CrafersPrimary School History & Mystery Memories of Mount St. Catherine's","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/stirling-east-memories.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2415"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2415"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2431,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2415\/revisions\/2431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}