SCHOOL

The history of the Bunbury School District dates back to February 14, 1882. It was then that the original boundaries were registered With the Department of Education. The old Bunbury School stood on the comer of Bunbury Road and Duffy Road, on land which was donated by William Mason. It is understood that each succeeding generation donated additional land when the need arose. Five generations of Masons attended this school.

From 1905 to 1912, Bunbury school children were sent on horse- drawn "buses" to the newly constructed MacDonald Consolidated School in Mt. Herbert. Children from six school districts including Bunbury, Mt. Herbert, Mermaid, Bethel, Hazelbrook, and Cross Roads attended this modern, experimental school. The school offered classes in household science and agriculture, and housed a fully-equipped woodworking shop. The principal of MacDonald Consolidated school was famous Bunbury resident and future Island premier, J. Walter Jones.

A Bunbury resident who attended both the MacDonald Consolidated School and the old Bunbury School had these recollections of an early Bunbury School teacher.

My favourite teacher was Eddie MacPhail. 0f later years, he was the school inspector. . . I remember, I don ’t know what Allan, Blair Match, and some more, what devilment they got into, one day in school, but anyhow he beat them. I can see him yet. And of course, they wouldn’t cry. Coming down on them with the stick on their hands. He said when the trustees went to interview the diferent ones that applied for the school, they wanted to see how big he was because they had some big boys going to school. He was a big fellow, alright.

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