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= Hammondville Public School = Hammondville Public School is a government-funded primary school located at Hammondville, New South Wales, Australia. The school was established in 1933 by the vision of one man Canon Robert Brodribb Stewart Hammond (1870-1946).

In 1933, Canon Hammond opened the first school in Hammondville where the children living in the area or the surrounding area to be able to attend school. Hammondville Public School teaches students from Kindergarten to Year 6 with approximately 500 students.

Hammondville Public School is located 33 kilometres from Sydney, located in Sydney-South-West. Hammondville is situated between to Holsworthy and Moorebank and is in the local government area of City of Liverpool.

= History of Hammondville =

Hammondville was born out of the depression through the vision and persistence of one man: Canon Robert Brodribb Stewart Hammond (1870-1946). On the 12th February 1931, he called a meeting at St Barnabas Church (located on Broadway, Sydney) for married men who wished to apply for the kind of accommodation which he proposed to provide. The Church filled to over flowing and as a result 800 applications were received from people who asked to be allowed to participate in the project. Thousands were left homeless and were destitute during The Great War (World War 1) and The Great Depression.

Canon Robert Brodribb Stewart Hammond, who was born at Brighton, Victoria, on June 12th, 1870. He studied for the Anglican Mission and was ordained in 1894. In 1918, he began his long and notable ministry at St. Barnabas’ Church, which is still located on Broadway today. He died as Archdeacon on May 12th, 1946. On the 12th February 1932, he called a meeting at St Barnabas Church for married men who wished to apply for the kind of accommodation which he proposed to provide. The church filled to over flowing and as a result 800 applications were received from people who asked to be allowed to participate in the project.

The condition for a family’s entry to Hammondville required that there be at least three young children and that the parents be unemployed and evicted or under notice of eviction from their present residence. The homes were not going to be a gift; they had to be paid for on a rent-purchase basis. It was proposed that these simple homes would cost about one hundred pounds ($200) to build on a site that was valued at about twentyfive pounds ($50). The pay back arrangement was that they would pay five shillings (50c) a week for three years and seven shillings and six pence (75c) a week thereafter until the cost of the house was met.

The original land that Canon Hammond acquitted was 13 acres and it is believed that he raised money on his own life insurance policy to purchase this land. The land was portion of an original 700 acres granted to Thomas Rowey in about 1828. Before any of the houses were built a team of unemployed men from the Hammond Hostels near St Barnabas Church volunteered to clear the land and make the roads without any expectation of remuneration. When the land was cleared a carpenter, bricklayer, plumber, painter and several other men with building experience were employed: each to help others. It was a successful team effort. A camp was established and the work proceeded.The road from Liverpool was full of pot holes; a dust heap when dry and a quagmire when wet. Hammondville was officially opened by the New South Wales Governor Sir Phillip Game on Sunday 25th November 1932.

Living Conditions
Once people starting to come to Hammondville there were currently nine pioneer homes (as they were known) build for the families to live in. Further land was slowly acquired until the total area of the settlement exceeded 200 acres and by the of 1939 110 timber houses has been built and the families had been installed. The building programme continued. The 111th house was donated by the "Daily Mirror" newspaper. It was on Walder Road, near Stewart Avenue. Hammondville had many benefactors who helped in various ways including the financing of home construction. Some of these folk including Sir Samuel Walder, Frederick Stewart, Rodney Dangar, Walter Bushell (Of Bushells Tea) and ex Senator George Forster who was on the Hammondville trust Staff. These people and many other benefactors often visited the school. The Rotary Club also raised funds to aid the cause.​ Mr Ian McLain was the first Resident Manager and when he resigned in March 1938 Mr Walter Stenbeck was appointed.

Some families did not survive the "rugged life in the bush." These were few and the families that stayed had one another and they developed a strong bond of community. The village was isolated being 3km to Liverpool with very little access transport. Radio was still in its infancy but unless you had a battery operated set it was useless as there was no electricity in Hammondville. It was some years before the electricity was finally connected. This was a gala day for all the residents and most turned out for the "turning on" ceremony which was held at the telegraph pole next to the main gate of the school. A platform had been erected for the offical party and was bedecked with flags and bunting. The honour of throwing the switch was bestowed upon Lady Stewart, wife of Sir Frederick Stewart. As she rose to the occasion one local resident (overcome with excitement) ran forward and like De Groot of Harbour Bridge fame beat her to it. Amid a large murmur from the crow. Canon Hammond ushered him from the stage turned the switch off and the ceremony proceeded much to the delight of all concerned. The electricity was the "shilling in the meter" system. This meant that residents weren't faced with hefty electricity accounts. People kept a "shilling jar" and when the meter man came to collect the money he always left a few shilling behind.

Memorial
Lt George Leo Cantello was the Commanding Officer of the 41st Pursuit Squadron, 35th Pursuit Group, United States Army Air Force (USAAF) who died in a plane crash in Hammondville whilst defending Australia on the 8th of June 1943. He was based at Bankstown airport, near Sydney, NSW, he received report that Japanese submarines were firing shells towards Sydney and he was the only pilot on duty at that time. Soon after he flew out of Bankstown Airport in his P-39 Airacobra plane he clipped trees and his plane went in Hammondville. For several years the identity of the pilot was unknown until local researcher John Jewell, who was boy at the time of the crash, uncovered many unanswered questions in a interesting piece of Australia-American war history. In 1988, Hammondville community unveiled a memorial in his honour now located at Lt. Cantello Reserve in Hammondville.

= History of Hammondville Public School = On May 30th, 1933, the school was officially named Hammondville School, and the building was completed on June 1933. The range of suburbs from which the families came, is surprising, as many people are under the impression that most came from very poor inner suburbs. By August 15th, there were 53 pupils attending the school. With so many children, two teachers and one class room, turns were taken to use the building. When one teacher was indoors, the other was outdoors. During the Depression, the teachers’ salary was reduced and for one fortnight there was no salary at all.

Teaching conditions were extremely difficult, particularly at Hammondville. Most school equipment had to be provided by pupils. Understandably there was very little equipment. On one occasion a little girl (Arline Cochran, Now Mrs McNab from Batehaven) told Miss Beard that she was going to pull her tooth out on Saturday so the tooth fairy would give her a penny to buy a new book. As Miss Beard (one of the teachers at the school) recorded in her diary “it would be funny if she hadn’t been so terribly in earnest.”

In 1951 more than 157 British children enrolled at the school and British children (mainly English) continued arriving until the early 1970s. The arrival at the school of the first “brits” proved delightful entertainment for the “Hammo Aussies.” In 1962, British entertainer John Paul Young enrolled in Hammondville Public. He was part of the group of British migrants that settled in Hammondville. Young attended the school and was enrolled in 6th grade. He would entertain the class with his piano accordion. John Hatton, former politician (1973-1995), and Jim Masterton of Masterton Homes also attended Hammondville Public School.

= Notable Alumni =


 * Jim Masterson - Jim Masterton of Masterton Homes also attended Hammondville Public School.
 * John Paul Young - In 1962, British entertainer John Paul Young enrolled in Hammondville Public. He was part of the group of British migrants that settled in Hammondville. Young attended the school and was enrolled in 6th grade. He would entertain the class with his piano accordion.
 * John Hatton - John Hatton, former politician (1973-1995) attended Hammondville Public School.

= See also =


 * Hammondville
 * Great Depression in Australia
 * Ten Pound Poms

= References =