Carlo designs a garden for Korumburra State School

In  June 1913,  Carlo visited Korumburra with plans to design a new garden for the State School. The plans involved purchasing 2½ acres of land next to the school for the beautification of the school grounds and a play ground. 

Carlo and the beautification of the school grounds

The Argus June 4, 1913 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10788007

Korumburra - Mr Catani, of the Public Works department, visited Korumburra on Tuesday for the purpose of preparing a design for the beautification of the school ground. The director of Education (Mr Tate) has promised £50 towards the purchase of 2½ acres of land adjacent to the school for a playground for the children, provided the balance of £62 is raised in the district. An appeal will shortly be made to residents for funds. (1).

Korumburra State School. Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co. 

State Library of Victoria Image H2008.12/24

Was this playground and beautification project, in Carlo's design ever completed? I cannot tell you for sure  but there certainly appears to be some Carlo influence in this garden. Looking at the photos we have his trademark palm trees and in the photo above, you can see the use of what appear to be rock edgings - another Carlo feature used in a very much grander manner in the gardens that he designed and that bear his name in St Kilda - the Catani Gardens (2). 

Korumburra State School: postcard from A souvenir of beautiful Korumburra, c.1950.

State Library of Victoria Image H84.440/333

As a matter of interest, Korumburra State School, No. 3077,  opened in December 1890, and was eventually replaced by the building shown in the photos which was opened on March 6, 1913 (3).  An article in The Age,  had this to say about the opening The new brick State school at Korumburra was declared open on Thursday by Mr. Tate, Director of Education. Mr Tate stated that no country town in Victoria had such a fine school building as this one. There were not more than a dozen such schools in the State. The school cost about £6000. (4)

No wonder the townsfolk of Korumburra wanted a beautiful garden to go with their new school especially as, according to reports in the paper in 1911, the previous school building was so disgraceful that many parents seriously considered organising a strike (5). In May 1891 there were 40 students enrolled, in 1894 319 students, in 1900 - 491 students, 1910 - 480 students. The rapid growth in school numbers was due to coal - the first load of coal to be transported out of  the Coal Creek Mine at Korumburra took place on October 25, 1892. (6). 

Footnotes

(1) The Argus June 4, 1913, see here.  

(2) https://victoriancollections.net.au/stories/carlo-catani-an-engineering-star-over-victoria/st-kilda-foreshore-gardens

(3) Vision and Realisation: a centenary history of State Education in Victoria, edited by L.J. Blake. (Education Department of Victoria, 1973)

(4) The Age, March 7, 1913, see here

(5) The Age, November 15, 1911, see here.

(6) The history of the Shire of Korumburra by Joseph White (Shire of Korumburra, 1988)