Daylesford Primary School marks 150 years this year and the Daylesford Museum is putting together a special exhibition to celebrate the school’s long life in the town.
Education in the Daylesford district goes back to the mid 1850s, with two private schools, one of which was the Anglican girl’s school established by W. E. Stanbridge at Christ Church, serving mining and farming families as the town grew.
Daylesford State School opened in 1875 as part of the wave of schools that followed the Education Act of 1872. The Act made education free, secular and compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 15.
Over the decades, the school has occupied heritage buildings in Vincent Street and developed strong links with the wider Daylesford community, including commemorations, ANZAC projects and local partnerships that appear regularly in school newsletters and museum records.
To mark 150 years, the Daylesford Museum and Daylesford & District Historical Society will assemble photographs, programs and stories of school life for display and digitisation. The museum is inviting people to bring in family school photos so they can be scanned and preserved for future generations.
Daylesford Museum curator Gary Lawrence said the museum was keen to involve the whole community in the celebration. “A key aim of our museum is to collect items and record material that will help enhance the stories of our community,” he said. “We are not only aiming at the distant past but also current and contemporary material.”
He said school photographs were among the most engaging records in local collections. “School photographs can be a popular and insightful resource for triggering memories of our friendships, teachers, schoolwork and mischief.”
Mr Lawrence said the museum was delighted to assist in marking this important anniversary. “We are delighted to take this opportunity of assisting to celebrate the Daylesford Primary School’s 150th by showcasing historic photographs related to the school while encouraging families to bring along their school photographs for the museum to scan and record for future generations.”
If you have old school photos, class pictures, sporting teams, fete snapshots, school programs or any documents that tell the story of Daylesford Primary, please share them with the Daylesford Museum for the 150th exhibition. Originals can be brought to the museum at 100 Vincent Street for scanning, or contact the Daylesford & District Historical Society via their website to arrange digitisation or to discuss loaning items for the display. Your pictures will help make the exhibition a true community history.
