[h=2]The Bush Teacher of the 1880s[/h]
She may not have worn this dress in the daily teaching but when a photo was taken in those 'far off days' everybody dressed up.
Beneath that sweet exterior the Bush school teacher of the 1880s was more than just a pretty face
She had to be able to:
• Set a broken leg in a crisis
• Patch the shingles on the school roof
• Cook lunch on an open fire
• Wall paper the residence with newspapers to keep out the winter winds and snakes
• Stay fresh all day from a weekly swim in the dam
• Teach a class of children aged five to fifteen
• Ride a horse side saddle four miles to school and maybe carried a couple of pupils.
• Fight off swaggies who attempted to camp in the school
• Keep the school property free of goats and cattle
• Study at night for her end of year examination.
ALL THIS, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE
(Centenary Supplement Courier Mail 7-5-1975)
http://www.chermsidedistrict.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=258