TENTERFIELD DISTRICTThe researchers are indebted to Mr Ken Halliday of Tenterfield for preparing the statement which follows. "The history of the School of Arts is not just the story of the rise and fall of 19th century self-improvement but also an expression of local identity for the isolated rural communities. Around Tenterfield, there was a small established network of Schools of Arts encouraging the moral and technical self-education of workers and artisans as well as accommodating the social and recreational needs of the community. In the more sparsely populated areas, these needs were met by community halls that reflected a lesser emphasis on moral and self-education." Mr Halliday goes on to provide interesting details of three such institutions; at Drake, Wallangarra and Bolivia. Drake School of Arts"A School of Arts was established at the gold mining village of Drake, between Tenterfield and Casino, in September 1897, next door to the Post Office. For generations, the large barn-like unlined hall was the scene of many social events and had a reading room stocked with books and a selection of leading newspapers. On the walls of the reading room were glass fronted cases in which were displayed a comprehensive collection of mineral specimens obtained in the district. Provision was made in the card room for indoor games such as draughts, dominos and cards. Illumination of the rooms came from hanging kerosene lamps of the "Rochester" type. The duties of the early custodians of the School of Arts at Drake were to keep the School of Arts and Hall clean, prepare rooms for entertainment, keep lamps properly cleaned and trimmed, lay and attend to the fires in the reading and card rooms, open the School of Arts at 9.00 am and be in attendance from 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm on Monday to Saturday, inclusive. The custodian, paid the princely sum of ten shillings and sixpence per week, was also asked to prevent the holding of religious or political arguments among members. On August 29, 1983, the 86-year-old School of Arts at Drake was burnt down but the community rallied quickly to have the building replaced, albeit on a different block of ground. The new School of Arts is a mud brick structure with the doors and window sashes made from red cedar milled from a medium sized tree purchased by the committee. Wallangarra School of ArtsIn the border community of Wallangarra, the town's first School of Arts was opened in 1907 and was used to house a library with current newspapers and magazines, and technical and fiction books. At a later date, a billiard room, stage and supper room were added. The original building was burnt down in 1953 and replaced by the present structure which was completed in June 1957. Over the years, the Wallangarra School of Arts has been used for a variety of functions including Anzac Day memorial services, balls, concerts, wedding receptions, TAFE classes and a baby health clinic. Bolivia School of ArtsThe School of Arts at Bolivia was built in 1914 on land donated by Archie White of Bolivia Station. White's predecessor at Bolivia Station, Edward Irby, was an instigator in the establishment of the Tenterfield School of Arts more than half a century earlier. Like all School of Arts founders, the opportunity to improve the mind was foremost in their thoughts as they immediately set about establishing a library. Construction of the Bolivia School of Arts was very much a self-help community affair. The construction contract was awarded to local man, George Petrie, who in turn employed two men on the job. Timber for the building, including tallowwood, was hauled from Mangleson's sawmill at Mt Speribo, free of charge, by the local teamsters. It took four days for each haul. Among the first lights used in the Bolivia School of Arts were the kerosene fuelled pump-up varieties, "Gloria" and "Tilly". Electricity was connected to the building in 1963 when rural electricity arrived in the area from the Tenterfield powerhouse. The School of Arts is today one of the few remaining in rural settlements around Tenterfield. It originally housed a library (no longer operative) and the hall continues to be used for all sorts of community and private functions. Mr Halliday concludes his account of the Schools of Arts in the Tenterfield area with the following general comment: "While it was among the aims of the original Schools of Arts to offer 'rational recreation', the smaller isolated communities were determined to provide at least that aspect of the School of Arts movement by building their own community halls, without Government financial input. Only Steinbrook, Mingoola and Sunnyside halls remain in tact today while those at Sandy Flat, Bungulla and Leech's Gully have long been out of use and are no longer part of the landscape."
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