School History

The first Headmaster of the school was Mr R Hill, who was also the Deputy Mayor of Orange at the time. The first head of the P&C Association was Mr Richard Niven, who is a past Mayor of Orange.

The First Staff: Mr RJ Hill (Principal),

Mrs S Murdoch, Mrs N Say, Mr A Reynolds (D.P.)

Mrs J Eggleton, Mrs E Woods, Mrs P Hahn.

A letter recently came in the mail addressed to the Principal of Calare Public School. Inside, the envelope revealed the following newspaper article which was buried in a time capsule in Robertson Park during 1973.

The article described the “Opportunity Deaf (OD)” class at Calare Public School back in 1970, 1971 and 1972. The staff held a fundraiser across the Central West with a Television Appeal on CBN 8 and CWN 6 on Saturday 16th June 1973. A total of $10 829.66 was raised for the classes in both Orange and Bathurst. Celebrities John Dean (local radio announcer) and Sydney TV personality Andrew Harwood read out the donor’s names. 

Itinerant Hearing Teacher Margaret Fullich, passed a copy of the article on to her colleague Kathy Hayward, who recognised her brother David and many other lifelong friends in the photos. 

“I was in that class for two years from 1970 to 1971 and was then mainstreamed in 1972. I caught up with the then principal Mr Ron Hill when he came to Orange for the 150 years of Orange City Council” stated Ms Haywood.

Students came from around the Central West to attend Calare. They boarded with families during the week. My family moved here from Eugowra after my parents found out about me in Kindergarten, my younger brother David was at North Rocks in the boarding school from the early age of 3 years old. Councillor Leone Healy helped lobby for this Opportunity Deaf unit as her son was hearing-impaired, Kathy said.

^{“I am in touch with most of the teachers of the deaf who taught at Calare in the early years. This photo was on the day of Calare 50th anniversary, we had a lunch with a couple of ex Calare teachers.” Kathy Hayward}

^{Above: Calare’s OD class students all grown up with family at a reunion in January 1995}

Fast forward 50 years….

In 2023, students with hearing impairment like Joe Natadra in Year 3 at Calare Public School use a hearing loop and his teacher Ms Paige Neilson wears a microphone to support his hearing in the mainstream classroom.

^{Above: Calare student Joe Natadra with Ms Paige Neilson.}

^{Above: Mrs Joy Harvey was astounded when she opened an aged envelope with soil spilling out.} 

^{Above: An opportunity deaf class teacher at Calare Public School, Miss M Thompson, used the auditory training unit to help explain basic educational principles to Melissa Baraclough. Melissa was a student in one of the OD classes at the school.}

The students in the OD classes boarded in Orange and travelled from all over. Their homes included Burnt Yards, Cowra, Wellington, Dubbo, Mudgee, Goolagong, Goonumbla, Molong and Broken Hill.

^{Above: Kathy Hayward Front left and her younger brother, David Hayward front right.}

Looking back, Kathy Hayward fondly remembered her journey and mentioned meeting the then-principal, Mr. Ron Hill, during the 150th anniversary celebration of Orange City Council.

^{Ex Principal Mr Ron Hill and Kathy Hayward in 2010.}

There was also an O.D. Unit at Orange High but it eventually relocated to Kelso. 50+ years ago hearing-impaired students had to go to school in Sydney or Newcastle for “Deaf education”. The OD unit started at Orange Public School in 1968 and relocated to Calare in 1969. The Itinerant Support Teacher Hearing (ISTH) service began in about 1978 and “Deaf students” were mainstreamed. 

“An advantage of the OD unit was that we grew up like a family, and it boosted our identity. The disadvantage was that mainstreaming helped me academically but not for so many others. Social isolation was evident, and this still continues.” Ms Hayward says.

“I have a very strong association with Calare. Three of my four kids went there, and I have worked with Hearing Impaired students there” says Ms Hayward.

“The teacher in the capsule lives in Adelaide and we have not been able to catch up in person with her, but she remembers us all fondly.”

^{Above: Itinerant Hearing Teacher Margaret Fullich works 1:1 with Joe Natadra for two hour sessions so that his hearing impairment doesn’t affect his learning.}

“This is a very special story for the Calare and Orange community. We are now contemplating what we might put in a time capsule to be opened in 50 years’ time!” says Mrs Harvey.