Amphitheatre – Avoca and District Historical Society

THE STATE SCHOOLS COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS.

The results of the above examinations arrived from Mr Inspector Bolam yesterday morning, and we have been furnished with the Inspector's official list through the courtesy of the Board of Advice for the South Riding School District. From the statement of prize-winners which appears below it will be seen that notwithstanding the fact that Avoca has carried off nine out of the 36 prizes offered (counting certificates of merit in the prize-list), the local school comes out of the contest with very barren honors. Avoca competed in each of the four classes, and in each case sent about as many competitors as all the other schools put together. Notwithstanding this, however, the Bung Bong school, which only sent two competitors to three of the classes and three to the other one, carried off nine prizes also (two only being certificates) each child winning a prize. In the competition of the 6th class Avoca, with eight representatives out of a total of seventeen competing, was altogether left out in the cold. In the 5th class, with seventeen scholars against fourteen sent by all the other schools, Avoca managed to carry off a certificate only, but the winner of this may boast that he can show more marks than the winner of the 1st girl's prize in the same class. The members of the 4th class seem to have had better training than their schoolmates of the 5th and 6th, or else they made better effort for the honor of the town. They succeeded in pulling off five out of the ten prizes offered, eleven from Avoca meeting twelve from other schools. In the 3rd class eighteen of Avoca met seventeen from the suburbs, but only succeeded in taking three out of eight prizes, missing also the special and both of the first prizes. The special prizes have all gone to the outside schools, Master William McMahon having won it in the 6th class for Percydale: Master Thomas Sutters, in the 5th class, for Mountain Hut; Master Thomas Abbott, in the 4th class, for Bung Bong, with a special note of praise for "excellent work." having also reached within ten of the full number of marks obtainable; and Master William Rutter, in the 3rd class, for Homebush, with only five short of the total number of marks obtainable. It will also be observed that the boys have carried off the special prizes on this occasion and thus, although accomplished by other schools, retrieved the defeat of last year. We furnish below a table which we have compiled with the view of showing at a glance the number of prizes obtained by each school, with the number of scholars competing:一

Amphitheatre competed only in the 6th class: Lillicur, Mountain Hut, and Lamplough, in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th; Homebush in the 3rd, 5th, and 6th; while Avoca, Percydale, Bung Bong, and the Avoca Lead competed in all four classes.

We give below the complete list of prize-takers in the order of prizes and classes, with the name of the school which each prize-taker attends, and the total number of marks obtained at the examination. The subjects in which the children were examined were the same in all four classes, viz:-Dictation, Arithmetic, Grammar, and Geography. Only in one case, that of Master Christopher Abbott, of Bung Bong, does it appear that any marks have been given for writing, and in this instance the Inspector makes a note "five marks specially allowed for penmanship." The total number of marks obtainable in the 6th, 5th, and 4th classes was 350, the limit being extended to 400 in the 3rd class.

CLASS VI.— Under 15 years.— Special prize, William McMahon, Percydale, 240. Boys— 1st prize, William John Williamson, Avoca Lead, 237 ; 2nd prize, Thomas Quayle, Amphitheatre, 203 ; 3rd prize, William Loo Ching, Percydale, 181. Girls— 1st prize, Martha Rutter, Homebush, 196 ; 2nd prize, Emily Birkenshaw, Bung Bong, 176 ; 3rd prize, Lillie Sutherland, Bung Bong, 169. Certificates— Edward Bird, Amphitheatre, 170; Albert Scott, Amphitheatre, 165.

CLASS V.— Under 13 years. — Special prize. Thomas Sutters, Mountain Hut, 300. Boys— 1st prize, James Hughes, Mountain Hut, 261 ; 2nd prize. Thomas Geo. Butt, Lillicur, 254 ; 3rd prize, John Schmidt, Mountain Hut, 235. Girls— 1st prize, Hannah Chapman, Bung Bong, 194; 2nd prize, Mary Eliza Clark, Lillicur, 179; 3rd prize, Priscilla Cartwright, Lamplough, 167. Certificates— Joseph Nicholson, Bung Bong, 233; Philip Whalley, Avoca, 216.

CLASS IV. — Under 11½ years.— Special prize, Thomas Abbott, Bung Bong, 340. Boys— 1st prize, William Mathers, Avoca, 187; 2nd prize, Frederick Frey, Avoca, 180: 3rd prize, Edwin Miles, Avoca, 173. Girls— 1st prize, Emma Miller, Bung Bong, 244; 2nd prize, Margaret McMahon, Percydale, 222; 3rd prize, Anastasia Brennan, Avoca, 162. Certificates— William Henderson, Bung Bong, 156 ;Caroline Beata Butt, Lillicur, 150; Albert Wiltshire, Avoca, 139.

CLASS III.— Under 10½ years.— Special prize, William Rutter, Homebush, 395. Boys— 1st prize, Christopher G. Abbott, Bung Bong, 290; 2nd prize, Alfred Kelley, Avoca, 285; 3rd prize, George Macadam, Avoca, 225. Girls— 1st prize, Lucy Paddon, Mountain Hut, 333; 2nd prize, Flora Frey, Avoca, 215; 3rd prize, Maria Roberts, Bung Bong, 195. Certificate— Oliver Stevenson, Lillicur, 195.

The statement from which the above is taken, and which shows also the number of marks obtained by the winners in each separate subject, will remain at this office during the next few days for the inspection of parents, teachers, and scholars, or anyone else who may feel interested in the subject. Much surprise, we might even say indignation, has been expressed at the ignominious defeat suffered by the senior classes of the Avoca School, and the results show that not one day too soon has the competitive examination been instituted. It is certain that if our boys are not making the progress they should do it is better to know the worst at once, in order that efforts may be made for improvement. That an improvement may be speedily accomplished at this school is "a consummation devoutly to be wished."

Conclusion

The achievements of more than one hundred children are recorded and the schools they attended identified.

Although Avoca entered 54 pupils—more than half of all competitors—it won no more prizes than Bung Bong, which entered only nine pupils. This disparity explains the Avoca Mail‘s unusually critical assessment of the town’s school.

Looking back from the twenty-first century, these examination results reveal much more than academic success. They demonstrate that small rural schools with only a handful of pupils could compete successfully against the much larger Avoca School. Schools such as Bung Bong, Mountain Hut, Homebush and Percydale produced outstanding scholars despite their limited enrolments, testifying to the dedication of their teachers and pupils.

In late October 1870 there was widespread flooding in northern and western Victoria. Twenty people were drowned. At Avoca large trees and fences were swept away. There had been flooding in Avoca earlier in the month.

One of the people who drowned was an Amphitheatre woman, Eleanor Maria Meade nee Williams. She was the daughter of Henry Williams of Creastown (Craystown), born in County Meath, Ireland.

In 1852 Eleanor had married Phillip Meade at Killeen, Ireland. They had three children, Mary Jane born 1857, John Henry born 1859, and Robert born 1862 at Redbank, Victoria.

The family emigrated to Victoria from Ireland about 1860.

About 1865 Phillip Meade bought 120 acres of land east of Amphitheatre.

Public Record Office Victoria Yalong South Parish Plan, Imperial measure 3941
The green arrow indicates Phillip Meade’s land

The floods of 1870 were the worst since white settlement. The Meade’s house near Amphitheatre was flooded. Eleanor Meade and her daughter Mary Jane were both drowned. There were inquests into their deaths and the events of the early morning of Saturday 29 October.

At the inquest of his mother Eleanor’s oldest son, John, stated that “between twelve and one o’clock this morning mother said, ” the flood is in the place, get out of bed;” the flood was coming in fast.” He tried to go to a neighbour’s house. The water was about 2 feet deep. He found the current too strong. He climbed a fence and was rescued by a mounted policeman.

His brother Robert went with his mother and sister to a neighbour’s house. The three of them were knocked over by the floodwater. Robert made it to safety but his mother and sister did not survive.

Avoca Mail, Saturday 5 November 1870, page 3

INQUESTS.
The district coroner, L. Worsley. Esq., held an inquest on Saturday last at Glenlogie, on the body of Eleanor Maria Meade, who met her death early the same morning by being swept away in the flood. The following evidence was taken : —
John Henry Meade deposed: — l am the eldest son of the deceased and Philip Meade. Mother put us to bed at about nine o'clock last evening; my sister and younger brothers, as well as myself, slept in the same room with my mother; father was away at work in Avoca ; between twelve and one o'clock this morning mother said, " the flood is in the place, get out of bed;" the flood was coming in fast ; I went out of the house first, down the lane towards Mr. McDonnell's place, a short distance from where we lived ; the water was then about two feet high : I tried to go through the flood, but it was too strong ; I tried to save myself by taking hold of the palings, and managed to get back to the cottage ; I saw my mother in the water leading my brother and sister by the hand ; I soon lost sight of them from the darkness ; I got upon the fence near the cottage and remained there some time, after which constable Fenton came and took me on his back to Mr. McDonnell's ; I have seen my mother today lying dead ; I cooeyed and constable Fenton came to my rescue; I did not hear or see my mother or sister after that ; my sister was lost in the water and has not yet been found ; My brother was first at Mrs. McDonnell's house.
Robert Meade, the younger brother of the last witness, nine years of age, deposed :-There was a great storm this morning; mother told us to get up ; we got up ; my brother told mother not to go out into the flood, it was too deep ; mother did go out into the water, and took me and my sister by the hand. She went down the lane to go to Mrs. McDonnell's ; the flood took mother off her feet; she fell forward into the water ; I was under her ; my sister had hold of my mother ; I managed to get to Mrs. McDonnell's ; I never saw my mother or sister after that ; I have heard my sister is lost ; while my mother was in the water, just after she fell, she called out, "Mrs McDonnell !"
Mary McDonnell deposed :— This morning, between twelve and one o'clock, I got up and went outside my house and cooeyed at the back of it to the deceased, Mrs. Meade, who lived at the rear of me about one hundred yards; I got no answer; the flood was then about a foot high in my house ; heard the first witness cooey ; I then called out to him, " Are you all right?" he answered, "yes;" I then said, " Where is your mother?" he said, "I don't know;" I called to Mr. Bird, of the hotel, and he came over to me; I told him that Mrs. Meade was in danger, and he went to the Police Station to give the alarm ; two of the persons who were present tried to get to the boy (the first witness), on the fence, but the flood was too strong to do so ; the darkness was very great, and the storm of thunder and lightning was at its height ; I saw constable Fenton go into the water, which was then four feet deep, with a violent current running, and rescue the witness John Henry Meade. To a juryman :—The boy was in danger; if the fence had been swept away by the force of the current the boy must have been lost, a large portion of the same fence has been swept away by the flood.
William Fenton, mounted constable at Glenlogie, corroborated the testimony of the last witnesses as to the rescue of the boy and other particulars, as also to finding the body of the deceased among a quantity of flood debris in Mr. Bird's garden.
The jury returned the following verdict : — That the deceased, Eleanor Maria Meade, was accidently carried away by the flood of water and drowned on the 29th day of October, 1870, at Glenlogie, in the colony of Victoria."
On the following Monday, the coroner held an inquest on the body of Mary Jane Meade, the daughter.
William Duff deposed to finding the body about eight o'clock on Sunday morning, on the bank of the river, in a place known as " Clapperton's Paddock."
Philip Meade, the father, identified the deceased as his daughter, stating her age to be fourteen years.
The evidence for the most part was but a repetition of that taken on the previous Saturday, and the jury returned a verdict similar to that recorded at the previous inquest

Avoca Mail, Saturday 5 November 1870, page 2

Deaths.
Drowned at Amphitheatre on the 29th October, 1870, Mrs. Philip Meade, youngest daughter of the late Henry Williams, Esq;, Creastown House, Co. Meath, Ireland, aged 44 years.
And at the same time and place, Mary Jane Meade, in her 14th year, (R.I.P.)

A week later Eleanor’s husband Phillip wrote a letter to the Avoca Mail thanking the people of Amphitheatre for their help and sympathy :

Avoca Mail, Saturday 5 November 1870, page 3

(To the Editor of the Avoca Mail.)
Sir, — May I beg a little of your space in which to convey to the people of Amphitheatre my heartfelt thanks for the sympathy, and assistance shown to me under the awful calamity that overtook my home on Saturday morning last ? To the inhabitants generally, who forgot their own losses by the flood in their endeavor to recover the remains of my dear daughter, and who, again, at the funeral of my dear wife and daughter, consoled me by their unaffected and unobtrusive grief, I owe the most sincere gratitude, and they have the reward of knowing that their kindness has been a genuine consolation to me in the time of my desolation. To Constable Fenton, however , is due a marked and special expression of thanks for having saved the life of my eldest boy at the risk of his own, and for having afterwards, in the midst of the darkness and storm, gone into the flood in search of those who, alas! were far beyond his reach. To Mr John Hardie, also, who was at the constable's elbow when the boy was saved, and to the other gentlemen who, knowing that I was away from home, did all they could to save my family, I hereby express my unfeigned gratitude. I am, Sir, yours faithfully,
PHILIP MEADE.
Amphitheatre, 3rd November, 1870

Phillip died 23 years later. He did not remarry.

Age (Melbourne, Vic.), Monday 11 September 1893, page 1

MEADE.— On the 10th September, at Sandringham, Phillip Meade, aged 67 years, late of Avoca.

Wikitree: Eleanor Maria (Williams) Meade (abt. 1822-1870)

Category: Amphitheatre

Avoca vs Rural Schools: 1875 Examination Insights

Conclusion

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Eleanor Meade drowned in a flood at Amphitheatre

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School	Competitors	Prizes	Certificates	Total Prizes
Avoca	54	7	2	9
Percydale	7	3	0	3
Amphitheatre	3	1	2	3
Lillicur	9	2	2	4
Bung Bong	9	7	2	9
Mountain Hut	6	4	0	4
Homebush	3	2	0	2
Avoca Lead	10	1	0	1
Lamplough	5	1	0	1
Total	106	28	8	36

Conclusion

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