Lorne School

In 1879,  John Baxter and Son of Geelong West, erected a  stone  building measuring 24 ft x 16 ft for £471, using stone quarried from the Erskine River. The building was completed with a bell tower  centrally situated on the roof. It was opened on September 16th, 1879 under Head Teacher John P Danaher, who remained at the school until 1891.

c1879, On the left is the Lorne School, the bell-tower in the centre of the roof. Argyll Guesthouse on the right.

Lorne School, sketch by J. Brougham Austin. (LHS 7199)

Furniture for the building was transported by the ship “Miranda” which sailed weekly from Melbourne. Initial enrollment was 30 pupils, and students sat in rows of desks tiered in the single classroom. The youngest sat on the lowest level whilst the eldest, in Grade 8, sat on the highest tier. The Head Master sat on a raised podium, and, with a woman assistant, instructed the classes.

In April 1905, that the Education Department provided a residence for the Head Teacher when it was agreed to erect a four-roomed, two-storey dwelling at a tender price of £303. The uniquely-designed building, known locally as “The Doll’s House”, was in the style of a Swiss chalet cottage.

Lorne School House, Stanley Mountjoy and Bill Shew, veterinary surgeons. (LHS photo 5882)

Lorne School Name Changes

  • 1879 Lorne School built, architect Henry Bastow.
  • 1908 Lorne School extended
  • 1950 Lorne School changed its name to Lorne Central School.
  • 1964 Lorne Central School became Lorne Higher Elementary School. Students could now enrol in Form 4, Year 10.
  • 1979 Lorne Higher Elementary School enrolled students in Year 11 and 12 for the first time.
  • 2003 Lorne and Aireys Inlet schools merged in 1997, become known as Lorne- Aireys Inlet P-12 College.
  • 2017 Lorne Aireys Inlet P-12 College de-amalgamated and the Lorne campus becomes Lorne P-12 College.

Lorne School Jubilee (1879 – 1929)

1929, Lorne School (LHS photo 6669)

 

1939, Lorne School Grade 3 and 4.(LHS photo 900)

c1945, Lorne School class

c1945, Lorne State School class.

 

Lorne School 1952. (LHS photo 9202)

 

1954, Lorne School. (LHS photo B572)

School Fire

In 1957, the school had been using their new classrooms for two weeks before a fire took hold and destroyed two classrooms, a staff room and a storeroom, with the damage estimated at more than £10,000. The fire was believed to have started from a heater flu. Teacher, Mr Brian Morgan, had started his class after morning play break when he saw smoke billowing from the room. Students were lead out of the room and they attempted to fight the fire with extinguishers but were forced back by flames and smoke. The fire brigade attended but could not save the buildings.

School Life

Friendly Football Match 1964

1964, Christine Walding photo, School Friendly Football Match. boys team.

Back Row (L-R): Allan Pease, Clive Tricky, Daryl Nash, Warwick Yates.
Middle Row (L-R): Graham Carpenter, Phillip Montana, Grant Babington (poking tongue out), Ken Cooper, Gerald Sumner, Rodger Grant, Peter Bennett, Peter Hayes.
Front Row (L-R): Wayne Lynch, Malcolm Tune, Malcolm Nichols, Dale Ridgeway, Francis Yates.

1964, Christine Walking photo, School Friendly Football Match. girls team.

Back row (L-R): Gail Couper, Christine Barwell, Kathy Montant, Lynette Oborne, ? , Dianne Harris, Gail Stirling, Jeannie Oborne and Kristine Lewis.
Front row (L-R): Margaret Haigh, Beverly Nicholls, Sharon Jarrett, Christine Grange, Christine Coates, Glenda Nash, Kay Austin, Denise Zanoni, Noreen Norton, Sylvia Nicholls, Sue Harris and sitting on ground is Christine Austin.

Lorne School Centenary (1879 – 1979)

School Sports

The House Swimming Sports trophy, the Beaurepaire Cup was donated to Lorne School by Doreen Beaurepaire. The House Athletics Sports trophy, the Stribling Cup was donated to Lorne School by Stewart Stribling.

Lorne P-12 College

Avenue of Honour

In 2025 the VCE VM students helped restore Lorne’s long-lost Avenue of Honour after learning its history from 103-year-old former student Doug Stirling. With incredible community support, they planned, planted, and created a new memorial featuring QR codes telling the stories of the 32 former Lorne students who served in WWI, which was officially opened on 14th November 2025 with over 150 people in attendance.

A heartfelt thank you to Robyn Saunders, Cherie Osta, the Honourable Dan Tehan, Councillors Libby Stapleton and Leon Walker, and our wonderful sponsors: Lorne Community Op Shop, Bendigo Community Bank, Lorne RSL, Lorne Aquatic & Angling Club, Lions Village, Winchelsea Lions Club, Surf Coast Shire Council, and private donors Garry Fenton and the Chant family.

Visit the memorial on Grove Road outside Lorne P-12 College to experience this important part of not only our town’s, but our country’s history.

Sources

  1. The Sun News Pictorial, Wednesday 7 August 1957
  2. The Age Newspaper, 7 August 1957
  3. Lorne School, the first 100 years, 1879-1979 by Rod Oaten, David Littleton and Kerry Littleton
  4. Surf Coast Heritage Committee
  5. Unpublished manuscript by Keith Cecil
  6. Gary Allen, former school principal, conversation 2025
  7. Lorne P-12 College Facebook post November 2025