Community
22 January, 2026
Step through the door and see
THE volunteers behind a years-in-the-making collection of historic pieces celebrating the history of Woorndoo are hoping funding could help breathe new life into one of the community’s last remaining assets.
The Woorndoo School Committee opened the doors to the school over the weekend, which has been transformed into a hub of items celebrating the past and present of the community.
The school opened in 1896, making it one of the oldest in the state before it officially closed in 1989.
It was not until 2018 it received a boost as the committee set about revitalising the interior with adornments paying homage to their beloved community.
Committee secretary treasurer Carmel O’Brien has been a driving force behind adorning the walls with a wide variety of objects, documents, newspaper clippings and photographs to amass a sizable private collection.
“It’s all been donations,” she said.
“It’s all starting to come together with items we’ve collected from different places.
“It’s been around five years of putting it all together.”
The school holds a special place in the heart of committee member Jan Sudiro, whose father, Norman Neal McLean, was a student in 1914.
“He had a farm out at Darlington, and everyone knew him by his nickname of old Jimmy McLean,” she said.
“Some people used to call him the mayor of Darlington.
“We lived at Terinallum (35,000-acre sheep ranch) when Lindsay Nicolas owned it, who married famous concert pianist Hephzibah Menuhin.
“I still have a photo of a dear little bassinet which Hephzibah gifted mum when I was born on December 11, 1941.”
Woorndoo School Committee president Franco Sudiro said the committee had remained dedicated but was in desperate need for funding to help make the historic space all it can be.
“What we really need is a bit of funding to give the back of the school a repaint,” Mr Sudiro said.
“You have to get scaffolding to get up – it’s a tall school with a gable roof – to paint it.
“I’m nearly 82, I don’t want to be getting way up there.
“We’ve got the paint, we just need someone game enough to get up there and do the painting.”
The committee has also sought to introduce initiatives to bring vibrancy to the school while maintaining its emphasis on history.
One such initiative had been giving people the option to purchase a Grevillia to be planted in memorial of family or a former school student for $5.
“We would love people to think about putting something there for their mum, sister or any family member,” Ms O’Brien said.
“We used to have country music at the Woorndoo Public Hall, but we can’t do it because we have no power at the school.
“We looked at getting a generator, which is $2500 through a local business, but we could not secure funding.
“If we had a generator I know some of my country music friends would be willing to do an open-air concert for us with a barbecue tea to help our fundraising efforts.
“It would also help because we can’t open in winter – with no electricity, there is no heating or lighting – it’s too dark and cold.”
Mr Sudiro said he was concerned for the future of the school, and the pieces of historic which have transformed it into a hub of knowledge, if the committee could not attract financial support.
He questioned what happens to the history when the current volunteers are unable to keep their efforts going.
“It’s like all little country towns,” Mr Sudiro said.
“The general store went, the church is gone, the public hall is gone, the school is gone.
“There’s not many houses left on the main street in Woorndoo, just scattered around after many people moved away or passed away.
“People don’t seem to care anymore – it’s a shame, really.”
Mrs O’Brien said the hall opens monthly and encouraged everyone with a keen interest in history to pay a visit.
“We’ve had a few students last year who came to visit and were shocked to see what it looks like,” she said.
“But you’ve got to walk through the door to see what’s behind it.”
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