Opale School

Opale School was the first school established on the Lightning Ridge opal fields, opening in March 1907 at the original settlement of Wallangulla, later known as Old Town.

The school was formed following a petition to the Department of Public Instruction in Sydney, submitted on 1 October 1906. Among the signatories were several well-known early residents, including Charles Prentice, John “Jack” Murray, and Arthur Dawson. At the time of opening, there were 20 children enrolled from just nine families.

Initially established as a provisional school, Opale was upgraded to public school status in September 1907. It was referred to as “Opale School” until May 1910. The school building was rented, and for a brief period, it seems there was a school but no teacher. In the early years, school records show fluctuating attendance as families came and went on the developing opal field.

Robert Buckridge served as principal from 1913 to 1915. He was followed by Henry Macara, principal from late 1915 to 1918, who was assisted by his wife and sister-in-law, Miss Mary Burges. A school performance in December 1916 raised funds for the Bush Nursing Association, donating one pound.

By 1910, a second school had opened at Three Mile Flat (Nettleton), with 37 children attending between the two schools. However, the push to relocate to the surveyed town resulted in a consolidated school in the New Town. By 1912, both the Opale and Nettleton schools had effectively closed, with education shifting to the new weatherboard building near the police paddock.

While the original school building no longer stands — in fact nothing remains of the Old Town settlement at Wallangulla at all — Opale School remains a quiet landmark in the educational history of Lightning Ridge, the first attempt to provide formal schooling on the opal fields.

Article: Research by Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: Walgett Spectator, 3 February 1907, 8 April 1910, 6 May 1910; Application to the Department of Public Instruction, 1906.