BLACKWOOD
PHOTO OF WHAT REMAINS OF THE AVENUE OF HONOUR IN BARRYS REEF, BLACKWOOD.. Taken in 2008 by Margot Hitchcock.
Eleanor Taylor who organised the Planting of the Avenue of Honour, Barrys Reef 1919. Photo below courtesy of the late Vern Fleming.
Courtesy of Margot Hitchcock, Historian for the Blackwood & District Historical Society. August 2024
BARRYS REFF STATE SCHOOL No. 885. – Head Teacher, Eleanor Taylor from 1907-1921.
Miss Eleanor Taylor (known as Nellie) was Head Teacher at the Barrys Reef School for 14 years, 1907-1921. The longest time a Head Teacher was there. Nellie was born in Barrys Reef to Margaret Taylor nee Denn and George Robinson Taylor. Her father was a miner and had a partnership with John Mounter in the Robin Hood mine located on the Annie Laurie Reef. The Fleming family lived in a house in a street now called Flemings Lane in Barrys Reef. Nellie Taylor’s sister was Isabella Margaret Fleming, who was Vern Fleming’s mother. When her sister was eight weeks old the family moved into the new house which later became the Fleming’s holiday home, now over 100 years. I met Vern Fleming at a meeting of the BDHS and he left me copy off a photo he had of Eleanor Taylor and he told me the history of the Avenue of Honour. Vern Fleming’s daughter, Margaret (Curran) married Laurie Curran and later lived in Fleming’s house in Barrys Reef.
Photo of George Robinson Taylor standing, with John Mounter seated. Courtesy of the Late Vern Fleming
Monkey Puzzle (Bunys Bunya Pine) Tree in Barrys Reef Blackwood. 2008 courtesy Margot Hitchcock.
John Mounter who planted the Monkey Puzzle tree seated and his friend George Robinson Taylorstanding – father of Eleanor Taylor teacher at Barrys Reef School. Original photo was owned by Vern Fleming, grandson of George R. Taylor. Photo copied by the author in 1978 while on loan from Vern Fleming.
In 1909 Miss Taylor as Head Teacher at the Barrys Reef School, was awarded first prize in the Annual A.N.A. Arbour Day best kept garden competition. In those days all the schools competed in this yearly event. The Barrys Reef School won this prize for the next two years. After the school closed the prizes which were pictures were hung in the Barrys Reef Mechanics Hall and it is believed they now hang in a residents home after they were taken out of the hall for safe keeping. The Barrys Reef Mechanics Hall was burnt down in the 1950’s.
In 1919 the School Committee and Miss Taylor planted 29 Elm trees as an Avenue of Honour on Arbour Day. They were assisted by the pupils and a number of relatives of the men who had served in the First World War. Each tree had a metal nameplate and this was attached to two big pieces of hardwood that had come from the poppet head of the Sultan Mine which was being dismantled at the time. The reason being that a large number of the 29 men had been employed in some capacity at the mine prior to 1914. Miss Taylor carried countless buckets of water from mine holes to try to keep the trees alive during the summer months, but only two trees survived that of Will Broad and Fred Rattray.
Miss Taylor resigned as Head Teacher in 1921 because of her mother’s failing health, as she was nearly bed-ridden. Instead of accepting her resignation the Education department granted her extended leave of absence. After her mother died, Miss Taylor could have gone back to teaching and was offered a position in Northcote in Melbourne but that did not appeal to her, as she did not feel she could adjust herself to city life. So Eleanor Taylor resigned from the Education Department and lived on in Barrys reef living the last twelve months of her life living with her nephew Vern Fleming and his wife. Eleanor Taylor died on August 11 1946 and was buried in the Blackwood cemetery with her family.
Of interest the Barrys Reef School No. 885 closed in 1928 and Mr.H.H. Cann (Senior) purchased the remaining school buildings 53’ x 20’ (built December 1875) for the sum of £35 for the author’s grandfather, Mr Walter Warner and grandmother, Mrs Dot Warner nee Conlon. From the timber of the school, two houses were built, one ‘Lumeah’ on the road to the Sports Ground in Blackwood, and sold, and the other house ‘Wannawong’, was kept as a holiday house for the Warner family. It stands on a hill on the main road into Blackwood on the corner of Warner Street.
The builders of both houses were Mr. H.H. Cann Snr., Mr. Magnus Williamson and Herb Cann Jnr. who was 14 yrs at the time. The house is now in the possession of the author’s family who use it still as a holiday house.
Photos of ‘Wannawong’ above in 1929 when built and above in 1956
D. Allen J. Knight
G. Allen F. Parke
J. Allen E. Peart
H. Anderson F. Rae
W. Broad G. Rickards
H. Carruthers L. Sullivan
J. Cole L. Walters
R. Drummond H. Wells
J. Higgins J. Williams
M. Keilan C. Williams
DIED ON SERVICE
R Kidd T. Murphy
N. Kidd R. Power
N. McCracken F. Rattray
V. Moore J. White
H. Vroland
King & Country 1914 – 1919
Some names found on the Internet at the ‘Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour’ of men who are recorded on the Barrys Reef Honour Roll and died on duty during the war, are listed below –
Rattray Frederick Norman – Roll of Honour
Service Number – 1508 : Place of Birth – Ballarat VIC : Place of Enlistment – Oaklands SA : Next of Kin – (Father) RATTRAY James.
Service: Australian Army, date range -1914 – 1920 – 10th Batt infantry. Age 32 joined 9.12.14.
Killed in action 19/6/17 – in field, buried Villiers Brentonneux memorial France.
Son of James & Margaret Rattray died age 34 yrs. James Rattray was Head Teacher at Barrys Reef School from 1886 – 1887. Frederick Norman Rattray was born in Ballarat in 1882. Other children born in Ballarat were John Henderson Rattray 1876, Percy James Whitehead Rattray 1878, William Reginald Rattray 1880, and Florence Muriel Rattray 1884. His father listed as James Rattray and mother Margaret Jamieson Henderson. James Rattray born Scotland married Margaret Jamieson Henderson in 1876. (Digger)
James Emil Huntly Vroland – Roll of Honour
Service number: 855, Rank: Corporal, Unit: 23rd Battalion (Infantry),
Service: Australian Army, Conflict: 1914-1918, Date of death: 29 November 1915.
Cause of death: Killed in action, Cemetery or memorial details: Lone Pine Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey. War Grave Register notes: VROLAND, Cpl. James Emil Huntly, 855. 23rd Bn. Australian Inf. Killed in action 29th Nov., 1915. Age 24. Son of Janet Huntly Vroland, of Carlton North, Victoria, Australia, and the late Carl H. F. Vroland. Native of Barry’s Reef, Victoria,
Source: AWM145 Roll of Honour cards, 1914-1918 War, Army.
Carl H. F. Vroland was Head Teacher at Barrys Reef School from 1891 – 1899.
James Emil Huntly Vroland was born in Blackwood in 1891. His mother was Janet Scott and his father was Carl Hakam Ferdinand Vroland. (Digger records)
Photos from Historical Records of the Barrys Reef School.
Photo of Miss Taylor and some of her pupils in their garden at the Barrys Reef School, Blackwood. Courtesy of the History Section of the Education Department.
Barrys Reef School, Blackwood.
Barrys Reef School, Blackwood.
Photo of Barrys Reef, Blackwood, with the Barrys Reef School in the pine trees at middle top of photo. C. 1903. and Monkey Puzzle tree to the left past the Church, and Sultan Mine Mullock heap to the left of the school and past the Monkey Puzzle tree.
Barrys Reef School, Blackwood with male teacher after Miss Taylor showing school, students in garden and Sultan Mine Mullock heap outside fence.
Barrys Reef School sign owned by Margot Hitchcock and her family at their Holiday home at Blackwood.
