Tallegalla State School

The Land Act of 1868 enabled the dense vine scrub in the area to be cleared.  Following the timber getters came mostly German migrants.  By 1880, fifty selections had been taken up in the area, supported by a migration scheme rub by the Colonial Queensland Government that encouraged closer settlement in rural areas.  As a small township developed and would come to include a railway station, post office, two churches, a hotel, a cemetery, and the school (of which the school and cemetery remain).

Requests for a school started as early as January 1876.  It was proposed that a government school would meet the needs of the growing community of the area then known as the Rosewood Scrub and soon to be known as Tallegalla.  John Dart was appointed secretary of the school committee and wrote a number of letters to the government in 1876 recommending potential sites for a school.  On 14th October 1876 a formal application for a government school was made which identified a two acre site on a prominent corner, near the post office.  The landowner, farmer Wilhelm Arndt, was willing to donate the land for the purpose.  The application identified around fifty children, aged five to fourteen, who would be potential students.  A local subscription of £50 was also expected to be raised to go towards building costs (£56 would be raised).  Arndt's two acres were surveyed on 6th November 1876 and were officially gazetted as a reserve for a school on 15th August 1878.

Construction began on a one roomed timber school building, designed by Colonial Architect Francis Drummond Greville Stanley (by 1880, school designs would be overseen by the Department of Education).  The building has a gabled roof, is elevated on low timber stumps, has two full length verandahs on its northern and southern sides, which are partially enclosed at the two ends of the northern side (where hand basins were housed).  In 1926 the interior was lined and the southern verandah was enclosed form 1955.  Several openings were altered in 1938 for better natural lighting.

The first head teacher was Edward Henry Vivian Dunbar.  He was replaced by John Marquis by 1880.  Around this time, the school committee had raised enough funds for the Education Department to construct a four-room cottage with verandah surrounding, to be used as a teacher residence.  The building was replaced by the current residence in the 1930s, following alterations to the original building.  A detached bedroom wing of the original building (added in 1911) was converted into a play shed during construction of the new residence.

In the late 1880s, head teacher John William Watkins planted a number of trees on the site, including the avenue of jacarandas and figs wich still line the driveway.

State Heritage Listing

The former Tallegalla State School was entered into the Queensland State Heritage Register on 2nd February 1998 for meeting the following criteria:

Criterion A - The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history

The Tallegalla State School is a remnant of a former larger settlement, Tallegalla, of which there are few remnants.  The school was established in 1879 and reflects the closer settlement of the Rosewood Scrub area and reflects the development of rural country schools in Queensland.

 

Criterion B - The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage

The school building is a rare surviving example of a small timber school designed by colonial architect F.D.G. Stanley.

 

Criterion D - The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places

The site, with intact school building, 1931 residence and former playshed is a good and characteristic example of a small rural state school.

 

Criterion E - The place is important because of its aesthetic significance

The school grounds have considerable aesthetic significance as a local landmark, with large established trees and situated on an elevated site comprising well composed and prominent buildings within a picturesque garden setting.

 

Criterion G - The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons

The school has important associations with the local community as a school as well as a local meeting place for about 115 years.

 

Criterion H - The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history

The school building has associations with F.D.G. Stanley as one of his few surviving timber school buildings.