Claremont Teachers College was

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

's first post-secondary teaching institution. It opened in 1902 and closed in 1981, when it became a College of Advanced Education then a campus of

Edith Cowan University Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a public research university in Western Australia. It is named in honour of the first woman to be elected to an Parliaments of the Australian states and territories, Australian parliament, Edith Cowan, and is, , t ...

before being acquired by the

University of Western Australia University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...

. The building is on land between Goldsworthy, Princess and Bay Roads in the western

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, Western Australia suburb of

Claremont Claremont may refer to: Places Australia *Claremont, Ipswich, a heritage-listed house in Queensland * Claremont, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart * Claremont, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth * Town of Claremont, Perth * Claremont Airbase, an ...

. It is a large two storey

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

building set in extensive grounds, with a distinctive square

crenellated A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...

tower, and was entered in the Register of the National Estate in 1987.

Background

In 1847 the General Board of Education was established to oversee school development in the

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just ''Swan River'', was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, an ...

. After becoming the Central Board of Education, it was superseded by the Education Department in 1893, which classified schools, graded teachers, defined teachers' positions, implemented a

salary A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis. ...

scale for teachers, abolished school fees, provided for co-educational schools, and made attendance compulsory for children between the ages of six and 14. At this time, the Education Department had "external study" for student teachers, where they taught in the

classroom A classroom, schoolroom or lecture room is a learning space in which both children and adults learn. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, ranging from preschools to universities, and may also be found in other place ...

while studying for examinations set by the department. In 1902, the college was opened and students could gain qualifications through studying there. It was the only place one could do this until the 1950s when the Churchlands and

Graylands Graylands is a Hamlet (place), hamlet in the Horsham (district), Horsham district of West Sussex, England. The largely rural hamlet is located north of Horsham#Holbrook, Holbrook beyond the A264. It is bordered by Langhurstwood Road to the west ...

colleges opened. The function of teacher education did not pass into the university sector until the 1980s. The college's last Director was Thomas Ryan (1924–2002), who completed his teacher training at the college and graduated in 1947. He was appointed Vice-Principal of the college in 1972, a position he held until his appointment as director of the college in 1980. The campus was the Claremont campus of

following that institution's formation in 1989. Upon acquisition of the campus by the

in 2004, the campus became home to the Confucius Institute,

University of Western Australia Press UWA Publishing, formerly known as the Text Books Board and then University of Western Australia Press, is a Western Australian publisher established in 1935 by the University of Western Australia. It produces a range of non-fiction and fiction ...

and, until 2021, Taylors College.

Notable graduates

* Kim Beazley senior, Labor politician *

Harry Butler William Henry Butler (25 March 1930 – 11 December 2015) was an Australian naturalist and environmental consultant, best known as the presenter of the popular ABC television series '' In the Wild'' from 1976 to 1981. He was a household name ...

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

* Nugget Coombs,

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

and

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

Rica Erickson Frederica Lucy "Rica" Erickson , née Sandilands, (10 August 1908 – 8 September 2009) was an Australian natural history, naturalist, botanical illustrator, botanical artist, historian, author and teacher. Without any formal scientific trainin ...

, historian and author *

Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (30 March 1930 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian musician, television personality, painter, and actor. He used a variety of instruments in his performances, notably the didgeridoo and the Stylophone, and is credited with the inventi ...

, artist/musician *

May Lorna O'Brien May Lorna O'Brien British Empire Medal, BEM (20 May 1932 – 1 March 2020) was an Australian educator and author. Life and career Born May Lorna Miller of the Wangkatha, Wongatha people, in Laverton, Western Australia, at the age of five she ...

, Aboriginal educator and author *

Noel Robins David Noel Robins, OAM (3 September 1935 – 22 May 2003) was an Australian sailor. He began sailing as a child, and became partially quadriplegic after receiving a spinal fracture from a car crash at the age of 21. He was the sk ...

, sailor * Arthur Tonkin, Labor politician *

John Tonkin John Trezise Tonkin (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995) was an Australian politician who was the premier of Western Australia from 3 March 1971 to 8 April 1974. A member of the Labor Party, Tonkin was a minister in the Willcock, Wise a ...

, Labor politician Published online 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2024

References

{{Authority control Teachers colleges in Australia Education in Perth, Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places in the Town of Claremont Claremont, Western Australia