In 1939, Marcia Chayter started primary school at Lawley Ladies’ College, a small private school at the end of Longroyd Street, travelling towards Walcott St, Mt Lawley.
It was run by the daughters of a missionary to China nicknamed “China Sharp” – Misses Mabel Ross Sharp (of China Inland Mission), Rosalie Ross Sharp and their mother Mrs A. Sharp. These aging spinsters were well named, for their beak-like noses could detect an errant scholar a mile off and their whip-like tongues lashed out at innocent mistakes.
Marcia felt that had they not been so foreboding, a great deal could have been gained from this place of learning. French was taught as early as Grade One.
Marcia was made to write with her right hand despite being left-handed, as her left hand kept smudging her writing and she was often in trouble about this.
A hot lunch prepared by their mother known as “China Sharp” (they were daughters of a missionary of China) could be purchased for sixpence. However, for the most part, Marcia felt the young occupants of this school shrank in self esteem and stature, hoping to become invisible under the Sharps’ penetrating gazes.
As World War II progressed and the fear of Japanese invasion increased, Lawley Ladies’ College was evacuated to Dangin (near Quairading) and mercifully Marcia did not go with them. Many of those who did apparently suffered physical abuse. Diane Holmes was one of whose hands were allegedly plunged into boiling water and lost a lot of its flesh.
BONA VISTA
Bona Vista is a two-storey residence in the Federation Filigree style. It was built for Mrs Charles Roberts in 1917, as her family home. In 1932, Bona Vista was sold to sisters Norma Margaret Forrest Monger (b. 1900) and Eileen Monger (b. 189?), who converted the place for use as a private hospital, Faversham Hospital, which catered for maternity cases. They were daughters of Frederick Charles Monger, MLA for York (1892-1903 and 1905), merchant, mining speculator and company director. In 1939, Bona Vista was vacated. At this period, the site comprised portions of Swan Location Z, being Lots 606, 607, and part of Lot 636, on Plan 3218, with a total area of two roods 28.4 perches.
When “Bona Vista” was Faversham Hospital (35 Glenroyd Road, Mt Lawley), Braemar Kindergarten was located close by. Marcia Chayter also attended “Braemar” Kindergarten and subprimary in St Giles Hall at 65 Lawley Crescent, run by Miss L. Haasen.
On 21 March 1940, Bona Vista transfer to Rosalie Ross Sharp was registered. From early 1940 through into 1942, Lawley Ladies’ College operated from the place. It was a school for girls at post primary level, which had been founded by Miss Rosalie Ross Sharp and Miss P. Turvey in 1927, at 7 Longroyd Street, Mount Lawley, in the same vicinity as Bona Vista.
Mabel Ross Sharp, Rosalie Sharp’s sister, assisted at the school. They were the daughters of a missionary to China, nicknamed ‘China Sharp’.
After Japan entered the war and the fall of Singapore, the war effort moved closer to Western Australia. Increased numbers of servicemen were stationed in the State, and numerous large buildings in Perth, Fremantle and the suburbs were taken over by the military authorities for various purposes. Among these was Bona Vista, which was vacated by the school to be utilised for military officers’ accommodation.
In 1945, when the place was no longer required for war purposes, Lawley Ladies’ College resumed occupation, and continued in operation under Miss Sharp for some time.
When she decided to retire, the school was closed, and the place became a hostel for students at Perth College.
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Joy Sherrington remembers she came down to LLC at the beginning of 1942 from Cunderdin where her father was a butcher and because of the war she was sent to Perth for schooling. Cunderdin had an air force base. She was 12. Within a month of her starting at the school the whole school was evacuated to Dangin (near Quairading). Joy remembers a lot of children came to Dangin and a lot of younger ones as well. Boys came too from colleges such as Wesley. They stayed in several houses in the District and the older children stayed in the hotel and the Methodist Hall.
“Joy remembers a lot of children came to Dangin and a lot of younger ones as well. Boys came too from colleges such as Wesley. They stayed in several houses in the District and the older children stayed in the hotel and the Methodist Hall. There were about 150 children staying with a few mothers and the Misses Sharps and Grandma Sharp and Mr. Cook. Joy remembers many of the mothers who initially came up on the special train returned home leaving their children there. There were children there who were evacuees from Singapore. Food was often rabbit and spinach. As an older child she helped look after the younger ones and there were only 2 mothers that she remembers who stayed on; Mrs. Reid and Mrs. Lund.”
There were about 150 children staying with a few mothers and the Misses Sharps and Grandma Sharp and Mr. Cook. Joy remembers many of the mothers who initially came up on the special train returned home leaving their children there. There were children there who were evacuees from Singapore. Food was often rabbit and spinach. As an older child she helped look after the younger ones and there were only 2 mothers that she remembers who stayed on; Mrs. Reid and Mrs. Lund They stayed in Dangin from March until end of 1942 and then returned to Perth in 1943.
On the return to Perth a lot of the children went to other schools and as Miss Sharp and her charges could not get back into Bona Vista (the Army was still there) they went back to 7 Longroyd St and boarded there.
They went to school temporarily in a Congregational church hall in William St and walked to and from the house on Longroyd and the school daily returning to Longroyd for lunch .There were not many boarders but quite a few day children who attended as their mothers were working. Joy recalls there were only about 15 girls in her junior year of which half were boarders.
In 1944 the Army left Bona Vista and the school returned to these premises and Joy continued here until she was 15 at the end of 1944 when she left and obtained work at an accountancy firm CP Bird (National Service Company) Joy recalls that Miss Sharp’s girls were highly sought after in the commercial field “if you were a Miss Sharp’s girl you never wanted for work” Miss Rosalie (Rosie) Sharp started her own school around 1929 after teaching at Perth College. She was a commercial teacher. Her sister Mabel was the missionary” China Sharp”.
The Sharps were Church of Christ and strongly Christian. The school also had a lot of children of the Jewish faith as there was no Jewish school for primary school children in Perth at that stage Joy says she believes the Dangin stay caused a lot of stress both financially and emotionally to the Sharps. Joy says she helped with Miss Sharp’s books and they struggled as they were not always paid for the schooling provided by parents. There was a war on and times were tough for many.
The stress of caring for a large group of younger children in Dangin with little help other than from 2 parents also took its toil on Miss Sharp, she believes. Miss Sharp finished teaching a couple of years after Joy left and the school became a boarding house for girls attending other schools until it was sold to the Perth Bible Institute.
One of Joy’s strong memories is accompanying a group of smaller children on a boarder’s weekend into the city to meet up with others when the air raid siren went off. They were walking towards Walcott St on the corner of Walcott and Longroyd next to the group of 3 houses there on the corner; a lady, who lived in the middle one, came out and took them inside until the all clear siren sounded.
Joy’s sister who is 4 years younger also attended the school
Dangin Temperance Hotel – Site – Shire of Quairading
In 1942 the hostel was used as a city retreat for the Lawley Ladies College boarding school when they were evacuated from the City of Perth.
“Bona Vista” is heritage listed.
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