Esperance Primary School
Esperance Primary School had 164 children enrolled.
Premier John Scadden Visits
Premier John Scadden visited town. Esperance state school children were given half a day off from school. The Premier was present at the morning school sports day which featured a girls’ race and a boys’. The races took place on the road beside the school.
The Premier had his vehicle transported by rail to Norseman, then drove via Dundas, Salmon Gums, Grass Patch, Gibson, Esperance, Ravensthorpe and Kundip. The vehicle was shipped from Hopetoun.
The Premier’s party had an official reception and function held at the Esperance Roads building which was the original government school.
THE PREMIERS PARTY WITH MR. & MRS H. J. JENKINS (RIGHT OF CENTRE) MR. AND MRS E.J. MCCARTHY(LEFT),
NELLY MCCARTHY (OLDER GIRL IN WHITE DRESS) AT THE GIBSON SOAK HOTEL. H. JENKINS THE LICENSEE OF THE GIBSON SOAK HOTEL,
HIS FIRST WAYSIDE LICENCE WAS GRANTED IN 1896, OPENED CHRISTMAS DAY 1896.
TURNING THE SOD CEREMONY. MR THOMAS WALKER, GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE WITH A CROWD, (E. J. MCCARTHY, READING).
MR THOMAS WALKER HAD ANNOUNCED THE RAILWAY LINE WILL GO AHEAD. (PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN- COURTESY ESPERANCE MUSEUM)
Premier John Scadden and the government introduced emergency legislation whereby a special authority, known as the Industries Assistance Board was formed to assist or partially assist farmers so that crops could be put in in for the following year. The Board’s operations were administered by the Agricultural Bank.
IT WAS HEAVY WORK FOR MAN AND BEAST. THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WERE IN CHARGE OF THE CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING.
Greater use of the land for agriculture
John Forrest was Surveyor General of Western Australia. It was not until this time that a determined effort was made to encourage greater use of the land for agriculture. Regulations had been in effect since 1848 to permit the issue of licenses for pastoral purposes.
Considerable areas of land had been taken up in the north west of the state, with only fifty thousand acres in total under crop. In the first year, during 1890 with new reforms 1,838,768 acres of land for agriculture was disposed of. The Hampton Plains syndicate was granted 216,000 acres under special agreement.
A story of a Hundred years chapter xx1p274
John Paul Brooks Settles at Balbinia Station
John Paul Brooks finally settled with his mother Emily at Balbinia station, some 60 miles inland from Israelite Bay and thirty miles east of Balladonia. He built a one room hut of limestone for his mother and sister, a store room, a water tank of granite and a living room for himself.
The book titled Born to Command – not to take orders! explores the history of the Brooks family.
Jim (James) Sinclair became unofficial telegraph master and postmaster at Esperance Telegraph Station.
Bay of Isles Leisure Centre Opens
The Premier Richard Court officially opened the $4 million Bay of Isles Leisure Centre. The new leisure centre boasted a large gymnasium, an aerobics and function centre, a crèche and offices and two extra pools and spas.
Local MLA Ross Ainsworth presented Year 2000 advisory committee with a $15,000.00 for the centenary Shade Shelter and a $6,000.00 cheque for the Post Office square project.
Coast care committee members will be among a group of concerned residents voicing their opinions about foreshore erosion management at a public meeting.
The Esperance Sea search and rescue service had a new state of the art rescue boat.
