Celebrating the past, inspiring the future
I HAVE BEEN THRILLED TO JOIN DOOKIE PRIMARY SCHOOL THIS YEAR, AND IT IS AN HONOUR TO BE PART OF SUCH A VIBRANT AND SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY.
I thoroughly enjoy working alongside the sta , students, families, volunteers, and community groups, and together we are making 2025 a successful and enjoyable year of learning and growth.
Dookie Primary School (No.1527) is celebrating its 150th anniversary, a significant milestone.
The community is invited to join the celebration on Saturday, October 11, from 10am to 4pm.
The festivities will include a historical walk through the last 15 decades, displays of past photos and uniforms, and school tours.
A BBQ lunch and baked goods will also be available, and we encourage everyone to participate in the various activities.
The school’s history began with Rural School No.136 in 1872, with the first construction of State School 1527 opening on February 1, 1875.
Our school community is proud to have strong links with local organisations, including the Dookie Lions Club, nourishing Dookie volunteers, Dookie Men’s Shed, and Dookie RSL, who have provided invaluable support and opportunities for our students.
This anniversary is a celebration of our past and a recognition of the vibrant, interconnected community that continues to support our students. It is also a chance to reconnect with former students and sta .
Dookie Primary School has been a cornerstone of the community, and we look forward to everyone coming together to honour this special occasion.
Julie Jerome
Setting the example
they’re ready
support their
and
Dookie Primary School Acting Principal Julie Jerome.
Dookie Primary School Acting Principal
Acting Principal Julie Jerome with Year 2 student Alex Madden-Brown and Foundation student Eli Smoothy.
Dookie Primary School’s 2025 captains, Liam Jackson, Tassy Gregory and Koby Jackson, are proud to represent their school community. Together,
to
classmates, lead by example
uphold the values that make Dookie Primary School such a special place.
Left: School captains Liam Jackson, Tassy Gregory and Koby Jackson.
A community united
AS THE DOOKIE PRIMARY SCHOOL COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I’M VERY PROUD TO BE CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF OUR LITTLE SCHOOL.
It’s pretty special to think back to when it all started — first as Rural School No.136 in 1872, and then opening its doors as State School No. 1527 on February 1, 1875. Our school council works hard to make sure Dookie Primary keeps moving forward. Crucially, we are involved in planning for the future, looking after the grounds and buildings, keeping kids safe, and making sure the school stays connected
to the wider community. None of it happens on our own though. What makes this place strong is the way everyone pitches in — staff, kids, mums and dads, and locals who always seem ready to lend a hand.
Groups like the Lions Club and the Men’s Shed are perfect examples of that country spirit, always backing our school and our kids.
As we look back with pride, we’re also looking ahead. The heart of this school has always been the children, and everything we do is about giving them the best start in life. With the support of this community, I know the future will be just as bright.
Peter Shields School Council President
2011 — Dookie PS students Shanae Guy, 8, as Little Bo Peep and Paige Cleave, 12. as Cinderella during Book Week.
2011 — Dookie PS students Lachy Ludeman, 7, Jordan Sutherland, 8 and Troy Hamilton, 7, on the first day of term.
2024 — Year 4 student Tassy Gregory and Year 5 student Amelia Shields with Dookie Lions Club member Ron Sidebottom during a Dookie PS visit to the Dookie Men’s Shed.
A hands-on and heartfelt approach to education
TUCKED AWAY IN THE HEART OF A TIGHT-KNIT TOWN, DOOKIE PRIMARY SCHOOL IS PROOF THAT A SCHOOL IS MORE THAN CLASSROOMS AND BOOKS — IT’S COMMUNITY, GROWTH AND PRIDE.
Dookie Primary School stands as a pillar of its community in its own right.
Students can dart joyfully from one playground to another, dig in the sandpit, nurture their own produce in the garden, and then cook it as part of the school’s Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program.
In a small school environment, learning and friendships flourish across all year levels, creating a sense of family as much as education.
But as principal Julie Jerome points out, “The school does not stand alone in this town.”
“When you’ve got the community behind the school, it can flourish and it can grow,” she said.
Dookie Primary School embodies the collaborative spirit that defines the town, supported by dedicated volunteers and residents, who are regulars on campus, lending their time, skills and encouragement to students.
Off-campus and just a stone’s throw away from the schoolyard fence is the Dookie Men’s Shed.
Each week, senior students head across to pick up tools, guided by mentors
to share both craft and conversation.
“Some don’t have exposure to woodwork or older generations, and some don’t have a lot of men in their lives,” Julie said.
“The Men’s Shed is a great support for our kids, where they build relationships and learn skills.”
Perhaps the school’s greatest strength is its allinclusive approach to learning, offering a balance of academic focus and hands-on experience.
Alongside literacy and numeracy, students explore Italian, express creativity with a visiting art teacher, and foster curiosity through a mobile library. Wellbeing programs are entwined throughout,
supporting each child’s growth beyond the classroom.
“Having that mix of academics as well as hands-on learning, we do that well, and we do that with our community, which has a bigger impact on our kids and their education,” Julie said.
“The kids feel like they belong – they’re proud of their town and that sense of pride is there constantly.”
With the capacity to grow, Dookie Primary School is ready to welcome more families seeking a wellrounded education rooted in connection. Because here, learning is more than books. It’s about skills, relationships, and strong community ties woven into the school’s fabric.
What do you love most about your school?
reading.
Tasanee Gregory, Year 5
I love Dookie Primary School because there is always something to do. Right now, it’s the volunteers helping us so we can do kitchen, garden, and men’s shed.
Izayaih Tindel, Year 4
We get to do lots of things at our school that other schools don’t. It’s really fun. Different people come to school and we get to go to other schools, too. My favourite part is VR, free time on Fridays, and the men’s shed.
Henry McIntyre, Year 5
The teachers helping us out, especially when we’re doing gardening and in the kitchen.
Koby Jackson, Year 6
I really like having the volunteers help us with kitchen and garden, the teachers are really nice, and we get to go on lots of excursions. Because we’re a small school, you also get more help.
Liam Jackson, Year 5
There’s lots on like men’s shed, garden, kitchen and always someone to help out because we’re part of the community. The school does a lot — we even got to go tenpin bowling in Shepp.
Mitchell Krahe, Year 1
I love playing in the sandpit and
Eli Smoothy, Foundation Art, because I get to create things.
Alex Madden-Brown, Year 2 I love art class, especially colouring in.
Millie Shields, Year 6 I love making things at the men’s shed, reading books here at school, and making friends.
eager
Words from the educators
LUKE KLEINIG
What was your job description?
I was very fortunate to be a teacher at Dookie PS in 2021 and 2022 before stepping into the principal role for 2023 and 2024.
Tell us about your time at school.
Over the four years I was at Dookie PS, I was given the incredible opportunity to do a lot of different work.
In the classroom teaching, teaching remotely during lockdowns, taking students on excursions and camps, collaborating alongside many amazing teachers and support staff, staying back at school late for school council meetings and hosting events to celebrate the school’s successes with families and the Dookie community, the list goes on and on.
Interesting work, challenging work, fun work and for those last two years a lot of emails and paperwork, but all very worthwhile when you get to see students’ faces light up with enjoyment for their learning.
One particularly fond example to share is going from failing miserably at cooking a lemon meringue pie with the Year 5s and 6s in 2021, to
then later go on and reignite the kitchen and garden program with much better chefs at the helm and the help of wonderful community members in 2023 and 2024.
What is a quote to tell why you love working at Dookie PS?
“At Dookie PS you never know what each day will bring, but that’s the part that makes it so fun and exciting!”
What makes Dookie PS so unique and special?
Without doubt the wonderful students, families, staff and community people.
I feel very privileged to have been able to spend so much time with them.
PETER McMANUS.
What was your job description?
I didn’t really have a job description per se: rather I was keen to be involved with the DPS students, initially with the garden program, but then when I learned that the Men’s Shed were having the children there, I decided to become involved with them ( I love gardening, and I also love woodworking).
Tell us about your time at school.
This year we have been fortunate to have Dave Risk join us in the Men’s Shed.
Dave’s experience as a builder/ carpenter has helped to make the program extremely interesting and he has challenged the students with lots of interesting and creative ideas.
I’ve really enjoyed being involved with his methods and the children love the challenge too.
What is a quote to tell why you love working at Dookie PS?
Why volunteer? The old adage that it is in giving that we receive is very true.
I find that giving up my own time to share with the children is immensely
rewarding ,and as I see them enjoying the program, I get to feel a sense of achievement myself.
The DPS staff are very supportive of our efforts and they too appreciate that we are there as volunteers, hoping to give the students a pleasant, positive and meaningful experience each week.
What makes Dookie PS so unique and special?
As a former principal of DPS myself, I have a keen interest to see our school prosper and provide opportunities for the students to enjoy and gain from activities that we are able to provide.
Venue:
Teachers shape a school of thought, growth and heart
Mieka Sullivan – Education Support
Since term two last year, I’ve been in education support, assisting staff and students, providing emotional regulation support and one-on-one help.
Living in Dookie and being part of this community, I love that it’s a small, community-focused school.
We have a strong connection to community through programs like kitchen garden and playgroup.
It also allows you to get to know the kids better than you would in a larger school.
You can cater to their individual needs and be flexible, which helps you pick up on things that you might not in a classroom with, say, 22 students.
Jennifer Attard
– Nourishing Dookie (kitchen)
I’m a casual relief teacher and also work in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen garden program, which I love.
At Dookie Primary School, we have a caring team, and I appreciate how country schools allow kids to learn in their local environment.
The students are so engaged, and it’s really lovely to see them from Foundation to Year 6 play together during recess and learn their co-curricular activities like Taekwondo together.
The smaller setting allows you to really get to know each student personally and understand how they learn.
I’m secondary trained, so this is my first time in a decade working in a primary sector. You can be so creative with the curriculum, blending the students’ passions with skills like reading and maths.
Cheryl Morrow – Business Manager
Working as a business manager in a little country primary school is pretty special. Public education really matters out here, giving every child the chance to learn and grow. One of the best parts of my job is seeing the kids start in Prep and then watching them grow into confident learners. By the time they leave, they’ve found their own strengths and carry a real love of learning. What makes our school stand out is how connected the students are to the local community.
Whether it’s helping out at events, joining in with local groups or just being part of the everyday life of the town, our kids learn what it means to belong and contribute.
That sense of pride stays with them well beyond school.
Melissa Beer
– Foundation to Year 2 Teacher
I began teaching at Dookie Primary School in 2018 as a casual relief teacher.
In 2024, I was appointed to a permanent role as the Foundation to Year 2 classroom teacher and literacy specialist.
It’s incredibly rewarding to work alongside a team that offers our students such a rich and diverse range of learning opportunities.
At Dookie Primary School, our strong sense of community is at the heart of everything we do. It’s the way students, staff, families and volunteers all come together and support each other that helps create such a positive and welcoming environment.
Holly O’Dea
– Nourishing Dookie (garden) and Science Teacher
I teach the kitchen garden program and science at Dookie Primary School. Over two years ago, the students and our wonderful volunteers resurrected the Stephanie Alexander program. The students are involved in everything in the garden, from sprouting seeds and planting to keeping our tool shed tidy. In the kitchen, we use as much produce grown from our garden as possible to create healthy meals from scratch, with our volunteers supporting the students to follow recipes, learn new cooking skills, and enjoy trying new foods.
Dookie is like a ray of sunshine. Our school is like a family. I feel privileged to teach here. We are able to offer many opportunities for students to thrive and experience wonderful extracurricular activities, making every day a memorable one.
Lessons in giving
Dookie RSL sub-branch
Ruth Horton
I’m involved in Anzac Day and Remembrance Day services, held just down the street.
The kids march down, and they are part of the ceremony, reciting poems and buying badges.
The school’s been excellent. They’ve really integrated the importance of RSL, Remembrance Day, and especially Anzac Day.
ANZAC spirit is being supported by a lot of youths around the district, especially in the country, where you’ve got more immediate access to grandparents who have served.
Community is paramount here at Dookie. The kids can see and feel the cohesion and the inclusivity of a small town, and it’s important for them to be a growing part of our society.
As far as the RSL goes, there’s more and more emphasis on returned soldiers, which instils in the kids a reverence for service and an awareness of the sacrifices and history of the Navy, Army and Air Force.
Lions Club of Dookie
Enid Richards and Marie Thorp
We’re with the Stephanie Alexander program, so on Mondays, the kids alternate between cooking and gardening each week.
We come along and assist the students – teach them how to read recipes, how careful you have to be with measurements, and everything in the garden, from planting and weeding to mulching.
It can be quite comedic too, because they tell us, ‘You look like a grandma, so you must be’ and they’ll guess our age is 37, and we’ll say ‘Yes!’
We enjoy their friendship, and I think we get more out of it than the kids do.
Cooking and gardening, it’s passing on skills, connecting, all those things.
The school sta are very appreciative. They give us good feedback, speak very highly of us volunteers, and they always welcome us into the school, as do the children.
We’re part of the furniture now.
Celebrating150years of DookiePrimarySchool Celebrating150 years of DookiePrimarySchool
Kim O’KEEFFE MP
THE NATIONALS MEMBER FOR SHEPPARTON
Congratulations to Dookie Primary School on
Dookie Men’s Shed
David Risk
I’ve been with the Dookie Men’s Shed for just over 12 months.
I got involved because the guys asked me; they needed a hand.
I was going through a tough time in my life, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.
The shed already had programs for kids, and after a few visits, I decided to stay.
Since then, they’ve put me in charge of coming up with ideas for what the kids can make.
When I first started, we supplied them the timber already cut, and basically, all they had to do was sand and assemble it.
They were doing it that quick, we’d run out of ideas!
We’ve kept challenging them and we’ve built model aeroplanes, boxes, and a pull-along frog.
Seeing the excitement on their faces when they finish a project, and it works, their faces just light up.
The guys at the Men’s Shed have really made a di erence to a lot of these kids.
150 Years Strong
Congratulations to the Dookie Primary School community on 150 years.
FOOTT is proud to support the schools and students shaping our region’s future.
Small schools with big dreams journey together
DOOKIE PRIMARY SCHOOL IS UNLOCKING NEW HORIZONS FOR STUDENTS IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.
When opportunities come a-knocking, the small school of Dookie Primary does not hesitate to answer.
The reason? Community and collaboration.
Principal Julie Jerome said partnerships with neighbouring schools enabled Dookie to engage in excursions and experiences that would otherwise be out of reach.
Already this year, Dookie students have taken part in a joint science day at Harston Primary School and enjoyed combined sporting events.
But the highlight so far has been a shared camp at the Cottage by the Sea in Queenscliff — made possible because several small schools joined forces.
“Together, we are stronger,” Julie said.
“We’re stronger together to give our kids the opportunities to go on camp, and to have excursions, because excursions cost the same regardless of how many kids you have, so we all join in.”
While sharing costs is a benefit, the true value goes far beyond that.
Socialisation. Friendship. Education.
These three outcomes are all encompassed in the linking up of small schools seizing these opportunities, with the sense of connection alone central to Dookie Primary’s vision for students.
“It gives them that expansion — an opportunity to be part of different communities, but also meet other kids their age who are living in the same rural situation and go to similar small schools,” Julie said.
“Then, when they do attend secondary college, they will know some people who are going there too.”
Looking ahead, the school plans to organise more shared adventures, including an upcoming camp in Melbourne to give students a taste of city life.
“It’s really focused on what the needs of our kids are, and also how we can best get there together,” Julie said.
Through collaboration, Dookie Primary is proving that small schools don’t mean small opportunities — and that when schools work as one, students thrive academically, socially, and personally.
Students’ grow to love their greens
KIDS ARE FULL OF BEANS – SO WHY WON’T THEY EAT THEM?
Since the dawn of time, getting children to eat their fruit and, more so, their vegetables has been a challenge, often met with scrunched noses and stubborn refusals, while parents are left scratching their heads.
But Dookie Primary School may have just found the secret recipe for success.
The school has been a member of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program for years, and two years ago, they began to utilise it fully.
Principal Luke Kleinig, teacher Holly O’Dea and nutritionist Katie Thorp revitalised the program’s potential by designing an initiative called ‘Nourishing Dookie’.
And from little things — soil, seedlings, and a splash of community spirit — big things grew.
“At the very beginning, we established a working group of volunteers from the community, who came and joined really early on,” former program coordinator Katie said.
“They have continued on and come every Monday morning, volunteering either in the garden or here in the kitchen.”
Each week, students rotate between the realms of cooking and gardening, discovering how food moves from soil to plate and transforming lessons into hands-on experiences.
“Everyone will start the session saying ‘I don’t like that’, or ‘I don’t want to eat that’, of course, which kids do,” Katie said.
“But they make it, they’re part of it, and by the end of it, we all sit down, share the meal, and everybody enjoys it.”
Parents have noticed this difference, too.
The school has received an influx of positive feedback, with students now requesting that their lunchboxes include cucumbers and other onceunfamiliar vegetables.
In true Dookie Primary School spirit, the benefits of the program ripple outward beyond the school gates.
Congratulations DOOKIE PRIMARY SCHOOL ON EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION 150
YEARS OF
Former students remember
Dianne (Ford) Feldtmann
When did you attend Dookie Primary School?
I arrived at Dookie SS in April 1960 as a pupil in Grade 2 after starting my primary education at Youanmite SS. My parents had bought the school bus business. I remained there until I completed Grade 6 in 1964 What are some of your favourite memories from your time at the school?
Our playground was huge. A gravelled area on each side of the school, with a few concrete areas. My family lived across the road in Baldock St so I always went home for lunch, usually a hot cooked meal, so I never took a packed lunch to school.
In my time there, I only had two teachers. The most kids I had in my grade was eight. I knew every kid in the school. I only went on one school excursion (to the Shepparton Butter Factory). The only other days we were not at school were at the school sports day – held at the Shepparton East Football ground and the school picnic which was held at the Violet town Swimming Pool.
The school concert was a big event for the school and the Dookie community.
It was a full-on production of plays and singing items. Mrs Edna Batey always played the piano for the concert, where costumes were meticulously created by the parents — mainly mothers.
It was held in the Dookie Hall with a visit from Santa Claus and a country supper of cream cakes, sandwiches and baked treats.
We would practise for weeks leading up to the night. Our school sports colour was pink. We had religious instruction every week when a visiting clergy from a protestant church and the priest, Fr Owens, from the Dookie Roman Catholic Church.
The Mothers’ Club was an important part of our school community where everyone’s mother attended, as there were no working mothers out in the workforce in those days
We had a wood heater in the classroom. We had a boys’ and a girls’ shelter shed.
The school consisted of two rooms — Prep to Grade 2 was known as the little room and Grade 3 to 6 was known as the big room
We had a visiting dental service each year and the school doctor in Grade 6.
No photocopier, but a spirit duplicator. Which teachers or staff had the biggest impact on you, and why?
As I only had two teachers, Mr Gilbert Berry would have to be my most influential teacher, who I had for three years. He was an older teacher and quite strict. However, we knew our tables and he set us homework every night.
Spelling and tables were his strong point, so I thank him that I had a good grounding in both of these areas, It set a routine for us for homework at high school later. Creative art was not a strong area of our curriculum. I became a teacher for 41 years, so I can say Mr Berry had somewhat of a positive influence on me.
What did you enjoy most about learning at Dookie PS?
It was a happy place to be. There was no segregation. Girls and boys played together in games such as rounders and Poison Ball. Cubbies were also popular, built at various places in the playground, often under a pepper tree. So social learning was easy and simple. Academic learning was generally quite formal. We had regular tests. The only visual learning was from books, the chalk blackboard. NO technology like
today. We sometimes listened to the ’wireless’ for a singing program for which we had singing books. What school traditions, events, or activities do you remember fondly? (e.g., art, music, sports, excursions).
The School Sports Day, The School Concert and The School Picnic. Some others I have already mentioned. We had a big school garden area on the east end of the large school block which adjoined the teacher’s residence yard.
What made Dookie PS unique or special compared to other schools you know?
We all knew each other. There were about 60 students in the school. We had a large playground. We were in the hub of a country town.
And I didn’t know any other school whose school colour was PINK. We had a school bus just for our school. There was a limited changeover of staff. The lower grades always had a young female teacher who seemed to teach for one year then get married.
Do you have a funny, memorable, or heartwarming story from your time at the school?
When the school floors in both rooms were being replaced (1963, I think.) The little room crammed into the boys’ shelter shed and the rest into the girls’ shelter shed like sardines.
It was in the middle of winter. No heating, no windows and very little light. Only a kerosene heater in the corner.
How did attending Dookie PS shape your connection to the local community?
I still live here. It did teach us a sense of community. Each morning began with morning talk, and often pupils would report on what their parents were doing (on farms, or in the local businesses), so we were always aware of what was happening in our community.
What are your thoughts seeing the school celebrate 150 years of education?
It makes one reflect on the hundreds who have gone before us and their contribution to society and to their communities in general.
Those who have served in the world wars, some who did not return.
I compare my days at the school of two rooms and simple resources to that of today with multiple classrooms, more designated play areas, available technology and well-equipped learning areas (IT and the commercial kitchen).
I can see the benefits of both in their own unique way. Learning and education have changed so much in 65 years. Our fun at school was so naïve and simple, whereas today, there is a different expectation of fun and learning.
Lydia O’Rourke
When did you attend Dookie Primary School?
I attended from 2015 to 2018. I completed Year 3 through to Year six.
What are some of your favourite memories from your time at the school?
Lachy Ludeman being dressed as a minion, then the school was obsessed with minions for a few months, my friends, sports days, camps.
Which teachers or staff had the biggest impact on you, and why?
Mrs L — she would tell stories and make schoolwork fun and not boring. During December, she would set up a tree with Christmas work in maths and English, spelling and STEM on it. I will never forget the monster word search that I never completed.
What did you enjoy most about learning at Dookie PS? (Subjects, activities, or special programs).
Sports, art van, library. Truck, Minecraft education and garden
What school traditions, events, or activities do you remember fondly? (e.g., art, music, sports, excursions).
For a few years, there was a song we sang in assemblies, the excursions to Melbourne to learn about STEM.
What made Dookie PS unique or special compared to other schools you know?
Moving from a big school to a small school will always come with the differences, but I truly love DPS because the whole school activities we used to do during lunch and recess. Playing, dodgeball, octopus, gang up tiggy and capture the flag was something big schools didn’t have.
Do you have a funny, memorable, or heartwarming story from your time at the school?
Seeing school captains and junior school captains being announced each year was always heartwarming. The need for feed fundraiser I organised and raised funds through the drought, having the privilege to enjoy school lunches on Friday and breakfast club on Tuesdays and Thursdays, being a part of a cluster school made up of Dookie, Tally, Congupna and Currawa.
The days of AFL9s and the school camps, the friendships I made were/are lifelong. The crosscountry day and athletics day will always hold a special place in my heart.
Being on the relay team on the cross ball or tunnel ball team was the best, and the cheer squad will always be memorable.
Making personalised Easter and Christmas books for the local kinder was something we did, which brought bonds to kids who were ages apart.
How did attending Dookie PS shape your connection to the local community?
Being at DPS I connected with the community through working bees and the Dookie Show prep.
What are your thoughts seeing the school celebrate their 150 years of education?
Seeing the school achieve this and seeing it still operates makes me happy.
Brianna and Ellee Pleming
From your time at Dookie Primary School, what was the best part of it, and what did you love the most?
Briana: I liked how we always had the added activities. We’d always have either the art van, the library van, or we’d have people coming in to teach us different sports like hockey and tennis.
Ellee: The Alexander Kitchen Garden program, which I’m not sure if that’s still going or not, but it was always really good.
What do you think it is that makes Dookie Primary School so unique and special?
Briana: I think it’s the community always being involved with the school, and that so many still are today — that’s very special.
Ellee: Dookie Show prep was always fun. We used to do fruit and vegetable animals, artwork and cooking to enter at the show — it was a hectic two weeks of getting everything done.
There are so many things that make Dookie Primary School special, and I have so many great memories from my time there.
A journey through time
1872
Rural School No. 136 began (01/09).
1875
School elevated to No. 1342 Dookie (eligible for capitation allowance); closed 31/01. First State School 1527 opened 01/02 as Dookie South. 1876 – Fence requested due to wandering cattle.
1877 – School closed due to low attendance; building used as temporary police station until 1878.
1879 – Prominent citizens petitioned to reopen the school.
1882 – Low attendance; school ran half-time. 1890–1891 – Multiple head teachers; enrolments rose to 30, promoted to 5th Class School.
1891 – School closed for repairs.
1893 – School relocated halfway between Dookie and Cashel; new two-room building approved.
1896 – One living quarter converted into a classroom due to rising enrolments.
1905 – Cashel decline led residents to petition for larger school in Dookie; new building built.
1910 – Original building moved and converted into teacher’s quarters.
1924 – Head teacher Gilbert C. Duff known for discipline, gardens, water supply, community contributions.
1925–1928 – Enrolments 66 to 79; single classroom; grounds landscaped, water infrastructure installed, windmill erected; infant classroom added 1928.
1930s - 1940s
Grounds problematic (red soil, sharp gravel); levelled and surfaced in 1940s; electricity installed in teacher’s quarters 1937 (school buildings 1947).
1951 – Grounds gravelling and sanding carried out.
1954 – Head teacher Andrew Gilbert Berry began 22-year tenure.
1951 – Grounds gravelling and sanding carried out.
1954 – Head teacher Andrew Gilbert Berry began 22-year tenure.
1958
The school grounds in 1958
1963
Back-to-Dookie event; ~100 former pupils and staff attended.
1975 – Centenary celebrated; original building removed.
1979–1980 – Adventure playground, additional classroom, and asphalt/concrete around buildings.
1980
Students and staff of Dookie Primary School
a
1981 – Won Keep Australia Beautiful and A.N.A. Garden State awards.
1985–1989 – Toilet block, dual cricket pitches, hundreds of trees/shrubs planted; computers introduced 1988; new school logo adopted 1989.
1995–2000 – New buildings completed 1996; covered walkway 1998–1999; 125th anniversary celebrated 2000 with period costume.
2007–2013 – Senior playground 2007; Kitchen Garden Program 2008–2009; BER works 2009 (portables replaced, fencing, shed, water tank, synthetic lawn); junior shelter 2012; memorial garden 2012–2013; enrolments 38.
2025 – 150th Anniversary celebrated.
150th Anniversary celebrated.
Leadership through the years
Principals and head teachers: 1880 to present (some records missing)
1880 – Anne Kiernan
1883 – Elizabeth Dowd
1884 – Mary Bramston
1887 – William Stewart
1890 – 1891 – James Denholm, Allan
Ralph, Johanna Regan
1891 – Mary Chalmers
1896 – Donald McKay
1905 – Elizabeth Anne Gray
1906 – Alex Hampton, Fred J. Rae
1908 – Evelyn L. Helyar
1908 – Horace Fenton
1909 – Donald McLean
1924 – Gilbert C. Duff
1933 – John A. Edmondson
1937 – Edwin Hoffman
1941 – Thomas M. Ryan
1944 – M. J. Dwyer
1947 – J. S. Mitchell
1949 – A. N. Christiansen
1949 – Walter F. Scannell
1951 – D. R. Goodger
1951 – John W. N. Sommerville
1953 – Louis J. Downey
1954 – Andrew Gilbert Berry
1975 – Jill McGrath
1976 – Pam Pratt 1977 – Bruce Mitchell 1978 – Peter McManus 1983 – Anthony E. Wason 1986 – Graham W. Davey
1990 – Margot Sherwill
1993 – Keith Wrest
1994 – Ross Carmichael
1996 – Valda Dickins
2012 – Michael Ramsay
2015 – Troy Wooley
2023 – Luke Kleinig
2025 – Julie Jerome
captured together in
classic whole school photo.
