The trainee teacher mystery of 1924?

Recently the Camden Museum posted an intriguing photograph taken at the Camden Showground on the Camden Museum Facebook page. It showed a large group of young men and women identified as trainee teachers from Sydney Teachers College.

Camden resident Peter Hammond asked on the Camden Museum Facebook page: Any idea why they were in Camden?

A mystery photograph

The photograph is a bit of a mystery.

The photograph was contributed to the Camden Museum by John Donaldson and was taken in May 1924.  The photograph shows 48 women, 34 men, and 2 children.

The photograph reveals more. You can see the spire of St. Johns Church in the background and the absence of the 1938 brick front on the show hall. There are no brick and iron gates on the showground. The brick building at the corner of Argyle and Murray is yet to be built.

Photographs can tell so much about the past. They are an excellent resource, and this image provides much information about this mystery.

Mysterious journey

So I set off on a journey to solve the mystery of the question about the photograph.

A quick search of the Camden News on Trove revealed that in May 1924, a camp of trainee teachers stayed at the Camden Agricultural  Hall in Onslow Park.  The report in the Camden News revealed more information.

There are 109 students and some ten lecturers and authorities gathering, from the University Teachers’ College. The students are obtaining practical knowledge by attending the different schools in the district, and much good should be the result. Those in charge are to be complimented on the excellent arrangements at the camp.  (Camden News 15 May 1924)

More to the story

So was this a one-off, or is there more to the story?

Further digging reveals that the first camp was in 1921; there were two camps per year, one in May and the second around August. There were between 70 and 100 trainee teachers at each camp, and they attended several local schools during their stay. The camps seem to have been for about three weeks each. There appeared to be lots of interaction between locals and visitors with sporting events, dances, lectures, and other activities.

The first camp in May 1921 seems to have been a big deal for the town and the AH&I Society. Following the First World War, the finances of the AH&I Society were in a parlous state, and the hall hire was a welcome boost to finances.

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

Camden was first graced with the presence of these bright-eyed and bushy-tailed budding young teachers in 1921 when 64 of them settled in for a week at the show hall. The Camden camp provided them an opportunity to practice their teaching theory and practice of the New South Wales New Syllabus that they learned in the classroom at Sydney Teacher’s College. The 1921 trainees were all single and were made up of 49 women and 15 men, and four weeks after the Camden camp was to be placed in schools. (Camden News, 12 May 1921)

The Sydney Teachers College trainees were allocated to schools across the local region. The list included: Camden Campbelltown, Campbelltown South, Cawdor, Cobbitty, Glenfield, Ingleburn,  Minto, Mount Hunter, Narellan and The Oaks. (Camden News, 12 May 1921)

The teaching practice visits were organised on a group basis, and the transport was either by train or bus. By the end of their training course, the students had had at least three weeks of practice teaching in teaching at rural schools. (Sydney Mail, 8 June 1921)

A world first for Camden

In 1920 the STC students had been based at Glenbrook, and the experiment’s success encouraged the college to extend it to Camden. According to the Sydney press, the venture was a first in Australia for teacher training, and it was believed at the time to be a world first for such a camp. During the week in Camden, the New South Wales Director of Education, Peter Board and the chief inspector, HD McLelland, visited the camp. (Sydney Mail, 8 June 1921)

A party of 89

In 1921 the party of 89, comprised of students, lecturers, and their families, had arrived by train at Camden the previous Saturday afternoon. The group put up the show hall with conversion to a dormitory and construction of cubicles to accommodate the mixed sexes. The show pavilion was converted into a kitchen and dining area from 6am to 9am and then again after 4pm. The Camden press reports stated that at these times, ‘the showground was a scene of great activity’. (Camden News, 12 May 1921)

The STA trainees had some time for recreation, and in the evenings singing and games were organised between 7pm and 8pm by the music lecturer Miss Atkins and the education lecturer Miss Wyse. Games and singing were held at the St Johns Parish Hall, and sometimes, the students organised tennis games. (Camden News, 12 May 1921)

More mysteries?

Do you have any mysterious photographs that tell a great story about our local area?

Updated 3 June 2023; originally posted 3 April 2020 as ‘The trainee teacher mystery of 1924?’