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The following note concerning the founding of the Queenstown School of Mines was passed on by the 25-Year Club. The author and date are unknown, but it seems likely this was one of the Instructors or an ex-student, writing in 1931. The list at the bottom was tacked on the end of the Mines School account, and is self-explanatory.

MOUNT LYELL SCHOOL OF MINES AND INDUSTRIES

QUEENSTOWN JUNIOR TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL

SCIENTAS POTESTAS EST

The first attempt at the establishment of a School of Mines at Queenstown was made in 1904, when night classes were undertaken at the state school under the supervision of a Committee of which Messrs. A. Douglas and Brooke Ricketts were honorary secretaries. The classes were conducted by honorary instructors and for some time good progress was made but as the school had neither a Government subsidy nor funds other than Students’ fees and was without a building of its own and a definite Constitution, the classes were gradually abandoned. The Mount Lyell Mechanics Club, however, continued for some years to conduct lectures and classes for the benefit of its members, and the establishing of the present school is largely due to the persistence and energy of some of the Members of this club.

Early in 1910 the Government, having been approached to give assistance promised £600 for the erection of a building and after some delay the construction of a building was commenced in 1912 in June of the same year. A provisional committee was appointed to manage the affairs of the school in May 1913, a committee of ladies raised sufficient money to equip the school, and the Government then promised £350 per annum conditionally upon a similar amount being contributed by the Mount Lyell company.

Mr. R. Sticht, at that time General Manager of the Company, notified the committee that his company had decided to subsidise the school to the amount of £350 for the first year; future support would depend upon results gained by students. Immediately the school was furnished and the first principal, Mr. B. Whitington, B.Sc., B.E., was appointed. The school continued to grow and several buildings had to be requisitioned to accommodate the different classes. In 1919, when the technical branch of the Education Department assumed control of all technical schools in Tasmania, a day school for boys and girls was opened and in the following year Mr. William Gibson B.E., A.O.S.M., now Superintendent of Technical Education in Tasmania was appointed Principal, and in the same year the present two-storey building was completed.

This building is well equipped and the ground floor contains the following:-- chemistry and physics laboratories, fitted with Bunsen burners from a gasoline gas plant. Electric hot plates, balance Room, assay laboratory, sheet-metal room electrical engineering laboratory fitted with motors, generators and switchboard for all Classes of such work, woodwork and carpentry room complete with Woodworking appliances, library and offices. On the second floor are the Domestic science rooms. Equipped with electrical kerosene and fuel Stoves and also modern laundry appliances, dressmaking room, mechanical drawing and class rooms the school is conducted in the Daytime as a junior technical high school for boys and girls, and in the evening as a senior school for technical and general education.

The students are prepared for intermediate examination in both the general and technical courses and this gives the student a choice amongst the following subjects:-- English, French, History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Algebra, Geometry, arithmetic, domestic economy (including cookery, needlework, housewifery, and hygiene), woodwork, sheetmetal work, Applied Geometry, and Building Drawing. Manual work of the school includes wood and sheet metalwork. The former (wood) embraces simple but useful models for the boys and the latter deals with elementary stages of developing and making sheet metal models.

Senior school; this portion school is conducted at night, when instruction is given in the following courses:

Certificate:- Mechanical Engineering, Commercial, Metallurgy, Assaying, Electrical Engineering, Mine Management.

Trade Courses:- Fitting, Turning and Pattern Making, Builders, Carpentry and Joinery, Plumbing, Motor Attendant, Electric Wiring, and Dress Making.

Classes are also conducted in subjects to enable students to gain the Leaving Certificate and Matriculation at the University of Tasmania. As this School is affiliated to the University of Tasmania students may attend certain specified classes to enable them to sit for University Degree examinations. The evening classes are conducted by members of the full time staff and Part time instructors. The latter are professional men, in charge of different departments or the Mount Lyell company's works. They are mainly attended by apprentices of the company, which still continues to subsidise the school. The control of the school is under the direction of The Education Department and the control is vested in a local council consisting of the members, three of whom represent the University of Tasmania - Messrs. A.P. Chaperon, A. Dargaville and F.O. Henry; two representing the Mount Lyell Company – Mr. T.A.C. Preston and Mr. Playford, M.E.; two representing the Municipal Council – Messrs. H.G. Faull and H. Clark; one representing the Gormanston Council - Mr. L.A. Harris, one representing the Technical School Association - Mr. G. Thorn.

At present, Mr. H.G. Faull is Chairman, Mr. R.M. Murray, B.C.E. (Mount Lyell General Manager) President, and Mr. A.S. Winter, School Principal is Secretary. The opportunities at Queenstown for theoretical study, practical work and original research are unequalled by any other district in Australasia. The extent and variety of the operations carried out by the great Company, its mines, smelters, machine shops, foundries, saw mill, quarries, railways and tramways, its hydroelectric power scheme, its flotation plant and the electrolytic refinery must be seen to be realised, and they afford an inexhaustible field for investigation for those who wish to learn.

The present (1931) staff of the school is as follows:- Messrs. A.S. Winter (Principal), R.A. Burge, E.Coulson, A.S. Danes, H.J. Elkin, G. Hayton, H.T. Herron, F.P. O’Connor, W.H. Perkins, F. Philbin, and J.S. Webster B.C.E.

Misses M.J. Carvel, C.M. Kent and M.M. Milwood.

TEACHERS LATE 40S

It is what we learn after we know it all that really counts.

OLD WESTONIAN’S ASSOCIATION

Formed in May of 1945

Election of Officers for 1948

Patron: Mr. H.G. Faull

Vice-Patrons: Mr. H.M. Murray and Mr. P. O’Connor

President: (ex-Officio) Mr. E. E. Wooley (School Principal)

Vice-President: Mr. T. Childs.

General Secretary: Miss D. Hodgson

Treasurer: Mr. R.C. Tremayne

Auditor: Mr. D.L. Best.

General Committee: Miss Chenall, Miss Fry, Miss Westerman, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Lacey, Mr. Pitt.