School history

For more than 30,000 years Aboriginal People travelled the tribal paths which connected their food and spirit centres. The people whose tribal territory, or lines, crossed the lines where Weston township has been built were the Awabakal people to the east, the Darkinung people to the west and the Wonnarua people to the north.

The township of Weston

The township of Weston is named after James Weston. James Weston was a convict who received a sentence of 14 years and was transported from England to New South Wales in 1830 at the age of 30. His wife, Lucy Weston followed him from Sussex, England. They had two surviving children, Jane, born in 1832, and James, born in 1840. 

James was assigned to Alexander Busby and later to John Jones at farming properties in the Hunter Valley and at Cassilis. At the end of his sentence James farmed land at Cassilis and then at Coonabarabran where the Weston family became very prosperous.From Coonabarabran, the family moved to Maitland.

In 1856, James Weston purchased a 640 acre portion of land near Chinaman's Hollow where he built a homestead and established an orchard and a vineyard. When James died in 1883 James Weston junior and Jane who had married John Swanson inherited this property.

Soon after the year 1900, the Australian Agricultural Company commenced to look for coal leases in the new developing areas of the Greta coal seams on the South Maitland field. The colliery proprietors began to establish Hebburn No 1 Colliery. James Weston and Jane Swanson subdivided their lands which bordered the colliery land to commence the private township of Weston.

Weston Public School

On 25th July 1903 the Department of Public Instruction purchased land from James Weston and Jane Swanson for $200. A school consisting of a single classroom, a small hatroom and an open verandah was built by contractor, Henry Russell.

The school opened on 23rd January, 1905, and the first teacher was James McKay. However he reported that the school had seating for 65 pupils and 151 pupils enrolled on the first day. He also complained that the school had no lavatory provisions. Classes had to be held in local halls and the population continued to grow. The building was extended in 1906 and 1908 and in 1910 an Infants Department was formed. At this time the school had seven teachers and 377 pupils.

On Sunday 21st December, 1913, the school building was destroyed by fire. Even the joint effort of the Kurri Kurri Fire Brigade of nine Firemen and the Weston Fire Brigade of four Firemen failed to contain the blaze. Lessons again had to be held in local halls and then in portable classrooms transported from East Maitland.

The building of a new brick building was commenced in 1915 and was finally completed and occupied on 1st May, 1916. The new school had 8 classrooms, a Headmaster's room and a Staff Room. There were also two weather sheds and two separate sets of lavatories.

After the First World War many new people came to settle in the area and by 1920 there were 346 primary pupils and 155 infants. In 1921 a weatherboard house in Ninth Street was purchased to be the Headmaster's residence and in 1922 two classrooms and a verandah and balcony were added to the school building.

In 1925 the first Kindergarten class was established. Primary numbers continued to increase and so, once again, portable classrooms had to be brought in. In 1926 land was purchased from Jane Yates and William Morgan for more playground.

By early 1928 school enrolments were 385 pupils in the primary school with a staff of seven teachers and 253 pupils in the infants school with five teachers. A new Infants building was built ready for the 1929 school year.

Electricity was connected to Weston School on 3rd December, 1937.

In 1945 more land was purchased for playground. During February, 1945, the Weston Public School Mothers' Club funded the installation of electricity to Weston School. A portion of the playground was asphalted in 1946.

A new toilet and ablutions block was built in 1966.

In 1989 the building known as the Infants block was extended to provide administration area, offices and a staffroom.

In 1996 work commenced on a new Library and Hall as well as refurbishment of the whole school. The new buildings were officially opened by Senator John Tierney in March 2000.

In 2000 enrolment was 230 students in 8 classes.

In 2010 there are  187 students in the school and 7 classes.

Headmasters and Principals at Weston Public School have been:

• James McKay - 1905-1910 Fred Lewis - 1910-1915 Herbert Buttsworth - 1922-1924
• Sidney Hobson - 1924-1926 Frank Sherring - 1926-1929 Hector Lang - 1929-1931
• Horace Beavis - 1931 Robert Somerville - 1931-1938 Ernest Byrne - 1938-1939
• Roy Devine - 1939-1944 Leonard Kaye - 1944-1945 Hilding Holt - 1945-1951
• Ronald Bell - 1951-1955 Robert Wallschuzky - 1955-1968 Tressler Harvey - 1968-1975
• Arthur E. Harris - 1975-1979 David M. Davies - 1979-1987 William Stewart - 1987-1992
• Peter Chapman - 1992-1996 Allan Withers - 1996-2010