Diana Cantrell (former teacher), Dunoon and District Gazette

On 30 September this year a little school with a very big heart celebrated 100 years of education. Tuntable Creek Public School finally closed its doors after a century of teaching.

While technically ‘in recession’, it’s doubtful that this beloved little institution will ever again ring with the shouts of local children, or the clang of the old hand bell that called them to their lessons.

Generations of students, past and present, old and young, turned up on that last Saturday in September to show their love and respect for a place that contains the collective experiences of hundreds of children and their families through the years.

Small rural schools are precious, and they are an endangered species, being subject to the inevitable effects of changes to transport, population distribution and the unpredictability of weather, including fire and flood. They are especially vulnerable to the bean counters and number crunchers who cast a cool eye over the bottom line, and don’t see the human faces behind the numbers.

The recent deluge had a catastrophic effect, with the destruction of the road that was the artery that fed the lifeblood of participating students to the school. Despite the dedication of some parents and carers traveling long distances over bad roads to deliver students to the school, waiting patiently for the road’s reconstruction to be completed, the Department of Education deemed the school to be on life support and decided to pull the plug.

Many people, including the teachers who had devoted years of hard work and dedication, not to mention the children and their families who had come to rely on the kind of loving care and attention that only small schools can give, were devastated. The job of packing up the school was physically and emotionally draining and took weeks of often back-breaking work. A small group of teachers, office staff and the general assistant (himself a former student with forebears and descendants who had also attended this beloved school), worked like Trojans to assemble precious memories to make the final celebration an event to be remembered.

Hundreds of people turned up to remember and relive their time when the school was the bustling centre of a small rural community.

In what is a sad and telling gesture, not one representative from the Department of Education came along to witness and support the celebration of an iconic little school. Not one.

Despite this lack of care and respect, the locals shared the stories of their experiences with the generosity of spirit that characterises little schools like Tuntable Creek Public School, the little school with a big heart that will never stop beating in the memories of all who loved it. Go Tuntable Tigers! 

This article appeared in the Dunoon and District Gazette, December 2023 – January 2024.