24th November 2018
Once upon a time there was a modest learning institution in Moray Street, affectionately dubbed ‘The Little School that Time Forgot’. The New Farm Private School was established around 1893 and in 1900 it came under the charge of 23-year-old Miss Jeanette Stevenson.
Just before he died, Jeanette’s father William, a builder of Abbott Street, constructed for her a wooden school house. The NFPS went from strength to strength and in 1912, it had 60 pupils.
Helping Jeanette were her younger sisters Eleanor and Jeanie, and later their niece, Biddy Wallace. Here is a sample of the calibre of geography questions in 1912: “Draw a map of Australia from memory showing 30 important towns.” How would you have gone?
When Jeanette died in 1965, her obituary stated that some of Brisbane’s top doctors, solicitors and businessmen were pupils at the tiny school.
The NFPS will be the subject of the Society’s November meeting, and presenting it will be Stuart Wallace. Biddy Wallace was Stuart’s great-aunt, and Jeanette, Eleanor and Jeanie Stevenson were his great-great-aunts.
Stuart’s talk will feature some remarkable family archival material. Come to hear more about this memorable little outpost of learning on Saturday, 24 November, 2-4pm, at Merthyr Road Uniting Church Centre.Everyone is welcome.