Comleroy Road Public School
125th Anniversary

On 30th July, 2005, Comleroy Road Public School celebrated an historic event: its 125th Anniversary. Now located in McMahons Road, Kurrajong, NSW, Comleroy Road Public School first opened in 1880.

Comleroy Road Public School Administrative Manager, Jan Livingstone, who has a passion for the school's history, put together a magnificent display in the school hall. This included a replica old fashioned school room, with life sized puppets representing the children and their teacher. On original school desks were arranged readers and text books from years gone by. And on the teacher's desk was an exercise book full of school work painstakingly penned by a student in 1902.

Jan Livingstone has spent many long hours in archive collections in Sydney copying original documents, records, maps and plans from when the school started in 1880. Jan mounted these documents on large display boards for visitors to see.

Ex-students of yesteryear came in to help identify the old Comleroy Road Public School photos on display, and many local historians were also there, making it a great day.

Ex-students enthusiastically identifying old Comleroy Road Public School photos of the 1950s

Many years ago, Comleroy Road Public was a one-teacher school. Now in 2005, the teachers at the school are: Margaret Lovering, Kay Thomson, Chris Fraser, Liz Bradley, Chris Churcher, Amy Dennis, John Williams, Judy Burns, Suzanne Martin and Principal, Sue Palmer.

The Blaxlands Ridge Fire Brigade provided a great sausage sizzle and brought their new fire truck down for the day. The wool spinners also showed their style, dressed in period costume. Many other stalls displayed homemade crafts and jams.

Wool spinner, Barbara Saunders, displaying her skills at the Celebration

Comleroy Road Public School routines of yesterday and today were contrasted in stories on display about A Day in My Life in Year 3 by Tyler, a Year 3 student of 2005, and by Les Dollin, a former Year 3 student of 1955.

Vince McMahon's father, Vin McMahon, was the youngest student in Kindergarten when Comleroy Road Public School moved to its newly-built weatherboard schoolhouse up on Comleroy Road in 1885. During the Anniversary Celebration, Vince met Olivia Warn, who has started Kindergarten at Comleroy Road Public School this year in 2005.

Vince McMahon with new Kindergarten student, Olivia Warn

Keith Ford, who attended Comleroy Road Public School in the 1940s, was also there, and his children, Wendy and Robyn, were students in later years.

Les Dollin (left) watching as Vince McMahon (centre) and Keith Ford entertain the Anniversary audience with stories of yesteryear at Comleroy Road Public School

The Dollin family launched this www.comleroyroad.com website during the Comleroy Road Public School 125th Anniversary Celebration. Vince McMahon and Keith Ford both said that this historic area had always been called 'Comleroy Road'. Comleroy Road is an unusual name for a settlement. To understand why this settlement was named after a road you have to understand its history.

The www.comleroyroad.com website presents facts, photos and stories about Comleroy Road so that students, local residents and historians can access them on the internet and learn about this historic area.

Comleroy Road School Principal, Sue Palmer, introduces Les Dollin at the launch of the www.comleroyroad.com website during the school anniversary celebration.

Comleroy Road - The Facts • 'Comleroy Road' Settlement in the Hawkesbury • 'Comleroy' in the Hawkesbury? Not any more! • Benjamin Richards' Kamilaroi House • History of Comleroy Road • The Original Comleroy • Comleroi locality in the Hunter • Kurrajong Scarecrow Festival Displays • Les_Dollin Homepage • Contact Us