Key information
- Address:
- Maryborough 3465
- Opened:
- 20 July 1865
- Closed:
- 4 November 1945
- School type:
- Primary
- School number:
- 806
- Other names:
- Newtown Common School, Newtown State School
How to find enrolment and other school records
If the school is open: contact the school directly to access records.
If the school has closed: contact the Archives and Records branch via email archives.records@education.vic.gov.au or 1800 359 140 and they will assist you.
The history of Simson State School
1865
Before it was Simson school, the school was named Newtown.
It opened as a common school in 1865, about 39 km north of Maryborough.
The first head teacher, Moore Hesketh, received a salary and building grant from the Board of Education.
The brick school building had an iron roof and was on a two-acre plot.
1870
In 1873, John Davey erected a teacher's house with one large room. He divided the house into two rooms using a partition.
Later, Edward Harkness erected two more rooms.
With an average attendance of 80 students in 1874, the school became overcrowded.
By 1875, the Board of Advice found 109 children present.
In 1874, the building inspector recommended the extension of the schoolroom. It was not until 1877 that a new classroom was built next to the original building.
In 1879, Head Teacher HC Phillips found the house insufficient for his family.
He and his wife had 10 children. He made many unsuccessful applications to extend the house.
1905
In 1905, the old house was declared unfit for habitation.
Permission was given for its conversion into a shelter shed. This did not go ahead and the house was later removed.
1943
Newtown became the Simson school. It was renamed to associate it with the name of the railway station across the road.
The aim was to resolve delays in mail delivery.
1945
New enrolments had fallen to eight and the school was closed in 1945.
Find more information about this school
The Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is the archive of Victoria's State and local government. They look after some of our oldest school records, and we can use these records to help us understand what school life used to be like.
Oldest school inspection record
This inspector report is dated 1934 to 1945 when the school was called Newtown. It is the oldest review of school performance that PROV has for this school.
Updated