The Life Of Children in Doncaster-Templestowe's Early Days.
During the "Year of the Child" many matters concerning children have been discussed. As the Historical Societies contribution, we are telling the story of the life and conditions of children in history. By studying history, present day attitudes to children can be better understood.
Many of the first settlers arrived with their wives and children. Mixed with the interest and excitement of facing a new life in a strange country were the doubts of the unknown. Wild exaggerated stories helped to exacerbate these fears, such as in the case of six years old Tom Petty, who came to Doncaster to join his father who had left England a few years before. When Tom at last saw his father with a beard and dark suntan, fears overcame him. He rushed off and hid behind a gum tree. The bush held no fears for children born in the colony. Jimmy Knee who played in isolated bush land at Deep Creek often carried an axe on his walks and killed his first snake at the age of three. For Jimmy, a town was strange and fearful. When his father took him to St. Kilda, they stopped to watch a train arrive at the new station. Jimmy was frightened and when the engine blew its whistle he was so terrified that he rushed off into the bush. His father couldn't find him, but Jimmy found his way back home to East Doncaster.
Survival was difficult for children during the early days of the district. In the first decade of the Waldau Cemetery, most of those buried, were children. Families often lost two or three children. In November 1861, Anna Thiele's new born baby died. The next January her three year old girl, Maria was victim of a diptheria epidemic. When the grieving parents came home from the funeral, they found that their two year old daughter Magdalene had, while they were at the cemetery, died too. In this family, only one boy, Henry Thiele, survived to become an adult. By the 1880's, ideas of hygiene were becoming known and child deaths decreased.
As soon as homes and farms were established, the settlers began to think of spiritual matters and the education of their young. School was generally thought of in association with religion. People were beginning to realise the importance of education. They saw the example of Abraham Lincoln who had risen from a poor family to become a President. Education was the key to his success. Australia was a new country with opportunities, so parents with foresight wanted schools for their children.
For some boys, school started early, often at the age of three. Although some male teachers were strict with the older boys, using a cane and strap freely, there were often woman teachers to make school life easier for young children. Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson ran a school near the corner of Williamsons and Serpells Roads. Mrs. Ferguson taught the little ones, but after they graduated to Mr. Ferguson's class, they ran to Mrs. Ferguson for protection whenever threatened with punishment. She used to spread out her skirts for them to hide behind. Once they reached this sanctuary they were safe. Mr. Ferguson would then give up, satisfying himself with a threat of what he would do to them next time.
Mrs. Faulkner who had a school at the East Doncaster Primitive Methodist Church found it necessary to hold classes at night during the fruit picking season. Children were needed to help in the orchards. Children were almost essential for an orchard family. The boys would work on the farm, thus easing the cost of labour for the father. The girls would help with housework, easing the mothers burden. In 1868, there was a complaint that many children did not attend at Schramm's School because they were needed at home. There was Ida Wittig, who at the age of 13, was absent for 18 months.
The sort of education children received in the early days depended on the individual teachers. Often children only learnt the "3R's": reading, writing and arithmetic. Mrs. Furphy, who lived at Warrandyte in 1841, taught her own son. The boy became the famous Australian author Tom Collins. She used three books: the Bible, a volume of Dickens and a volume of Shakespeare.
In the 1850's, the National Schools Board inspections made sure that children in their schools were given a comprehensive education. At a school in Templestowe, the children were taught the following subjects: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic , Geography, History, Maths, Singing and Drawing. The girls also learnt “Sewing and Ornamental Work”, while the boys had a plot of land where they learnt gardening.
In 1873, the newly formed Education Department planned schools within a two mile radius of most homes with children -often by road it could be much further. The new settlement at Park orchards was not far from the South Warrandyte School, but by road it was a long walk. One of the fathers, Harry Brown, blazed a trail through thick bushland so that the children could safely follow the axe marks to school.
It was not until after World War I that the boys played organised sport. They had always played football and cricket in paddocks or on level areas of roads. The football was usually rolled up newspaper. There were no sports grounds at schools. Between 1920 and 1930, attitudes to children’s sport changed. There were regular sport competitions and swimming sports were held between four schools; Templestowe, Doncaster, East Doncaster and Warrandyte. Zerbie's large dam that used to be in the valley behind East Doncaster High School, was used for the races. A raft formed the starting platform.
The basis of children’s life style comes from adults. In the past, when children had grown out of infancy, they were looked on as young unskilled adults. During the 1920's, a change was taking place, childhood and adolescence were being given their own place in life. Now youth has become important and children are treated seriously.
Irvine Green writing in 1979 11 DTHS Newsletter
THE HISTORY OF CHILDREN - Sport
After reading the article on the Year of the Child, in the last Newsletter, Mr Harry Schafter was quick to reply that there was organised sport between schools in the early years of this century. Mr Schafter who celebrated his 80th birthday last October played with the East Doncaster School Football Team until 1914. The Captain was Ted Aumann who went on to play football for Richmond. Their home ground was the Leeds Street Reserve. Doncaster School played on Federal Park. Leeds Street Reserve was built in the last years of the 1890's and Federal Park in 1900. Federal Park is now part of the Doncaster school grounds. The members of the team all put in to buy their football. Mr Schafter is the only surviving member of the committee who built the swimming pool at the East Doncaster School.
1980 02 DTHS Newsletter
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