Windback Wednesday - Burnside Primary School

Did you know Burnside Primary School began as a 'demonstration school' in 1869, operating out of a private residence on William Street known as 'The Cottage'? The school had 42 students under the superintendence of headmistress Ruth Clarke, who was married to Dennison Clarke (builder of Fernilee Lodge).

Due to increasing enrolment, a separate, purpose-built schoolhouse was commissioned for the site in 1872, marking the official opening of Burnside Primary School. The original building was then replaced by a new red-brick building in 1907, which was then extended in 1923 and 1932. 'The Cottage' remains a part of Burnside Primary School to this very day, currently operating as the school's science building.

During World War I, Burnside Primary School students knitted socks for soldiers on the front. In 1926, the school commissioned a set of memorial gates to commemorate past students who had died during the war. The gates were designed by Mr P.W. Culley and include two bronze tablets bearing the names of the fallen soldiers.

Photographs: Memorial Gates, courtesy of The Adelaide Chronicle (26 June 1926, p.39). Mrs Gibbons’ Class Knitting Socks for Soldiers 1914-1918, Burnside Local History Collection.