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The year was 1887. Queen Victoria was celebrating her golden jubilee after 50 years on the throne. Australia was preparing to hold the Centennial marking a century of settlement. In Ingleburn pupils were attending their own school for the first time.
In 1887, life in Sydney and the rest of the world was entirely different to what it is today. There were no motor vehicles then. Horse-drawn hansom cabs and buses and steam trams plied the streets of Sydney. Streets inner city suburbs were lit by gas and homes by gas or kerosene lamps.
The sleepy hamlet of Ingleburn had just two stores with a butcher and a blacksmith and was the centre of a scattered settlement of small farms intersected by the railway line and numerous bullock team tracks. Almost every household grew its own vegetables and fruit.
Today Ingleburn has over 100 stores and 4 railway tracks.
Until the year 1887, children of school age in Ingleburn had to walk or ride horses to Minto to attend school.
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In late 1886, the Department had accepted a tender from Mr William Gee of sixty-eight pounds, twelve shillings and sixpence for the removal of the school building from Brookes Point Road in the Sutherland area, and its re erection at Ingleburn.
The building measured 30ft x 16ft and was of wood construction with a semi-circular iron roof.
This building is still in use today housing our teacher's hub, connected classroom and staffroom.
Heavy rains in the early weeks resulted in poor attendance at the school but by February things had improved with 41 children on the roll. They were all housed in the one classroom.
Today the school has over 550 students and 30 classrooms.
We celebrated our centenary in 1987 and still have history books available should you seek further information.
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