The East Melbourne Historical Society is undertaking a project on the history of the former Yarra Park State school. The school, which was closed in 1987, and converted in the early 1990s into residential apartments, was opened in July 1874 and was one of the first large urban state schools constructed after the passing of the 1872 Education act which established secular, compulsory and free education in Victoria. 
Built on a small parcel of land of three quarters of an acre on the corner of Punt Road and Wellington Parade, the school was designed in the Tudor style by the prominent colonial architect Charles Webb whose other designs included the Windsor Hotel, the Royal Arcade, the Alfred Hospital and South Melbourne Town Hall. 
Under the initial head teacher Joseph Walker, the school very quickly gained an excellent reputation for its educational results, firm discipline and sporting achievements. In it early years its enrolment was in excess of 1700 students and its average daily attendance was around 900 to 1000 students. For a number of years it was the largest state school in Melbourne. 
As there was no virtually no state provided secondary education in Victoria until the early 1900s, the Government of Victoria offered from the early 1870s a small number of scholarships or ‘exhibitions’ to students in the state schools who were unable to afford the fees of the grammar schools and colleges. Students from all over the state sat a competitive exam for these exhibitions. The Historical Society’s research has found that in almost every year from 1874 until the early 1890s when the scholarships were abolished, that one or more students from Yarra Park was awarded a scholarship. In five separate years during this period a student from Yarra Park was the top student in the state in these examinations. One of the students to win one of these scholarships was Harold Stewart who went to Wesley College and subsequently became Headmaster in the 1930s.
The school produced an impressive list of alumni from its early days.  Perhaps the best known alumnus was Sir John Monash who attended the school for a brief period in 1877 before he attended Scotch College. Another famous alumnus is the sculptor and medallist Sir Bertram Mackennal. Two of the first female graduates in medicine from Melbourne University, Dr Elfrida Gamble and Dr Bertha Main also attended Yarra Park. Cricketers from the school who played for Australia include the fast bowler Ernie McCormack, the left handed batsman Vernon Ransford who later became the Secretary of the Melbourne Cricket Club and Sam Loxton who was a member of Don Bradman’s ‘Invincibles’. Quite a number of prominent Australian Rules footballers also attended Yarra Park. 
Over 300 past students enlisted for active service in World War 1 and a large Honour Roll was erected on one of the internal walls of the school in honour of these ex students. Despite extensive enquiries, the Honour Roll appears to have gone missing after the school was closed according to Ian Hind, Committee member of the East Melbourne Historical Society, who is coordinating the research.  
During the 1970s and 1980s, demographic changes in Melbourne’s inner suburbs brought a downturn in the enrolments of many schools and Yarra Park was one of the schools that was closed as a result of this demographic change. In 1986 the school was classified by the National Trust of Victoria and in 1992 the school, because of its architectural and historical significance, was placed on the Australian Heritage Register.  
People who have had a past association with the school in any capacity and would like to know more about the project can contact the Society on info [at] emhs [dot] org [dot] au.

This article first appeared in the Inner City News, May 2021

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