Extracts from the Supplement to Slab Hut to Red Brick: the history of Ivanhoe Primary School (2004) compiled by Theresa Casteltevetere, Dianne Fox and Louise Ryan, including recollections of former students & staff.
My name is Daniel Nolan. I am in Grade Five at Ivanhoe Primary School and my family has a long association with the school.
My grandfather, Frederick Foley (born 1915 – died 2003) was the youngest of a large family residing in Ivanhoe in 1923 – in fact he lived in Ivanhoe from that time until his death in March this year (2003).
He had an older brother Bert, a lad of about 15, who worked as a bricklayer on our school as it was being built.
Grandpa was a student when the new school opened in 1923, along with the second youngest child in his family, Frank. Frank is still alive. He is now a frail elderly man of 90 years of age. He was a soldier during the start of the Second World War and was captured at the “fall of Singapore”, and survived Changi Prison. He lives down on the Mornington Peninsula.
Grandpa loved Ivanhoe Primary School, and always spoke well of his days there. He was very proud that his children followed him to the school. There was an unbroken attendance of Foleys at the school from 1948 until 1970. My Uncle Mel was the eldest, followed by Jeff, Neil, Daryl, Paul and my mum, Dianne.
When my family moved back to Ivanhoe in 1995, Mum enrolled my sister Breanna at Ivanhoe Primary.
Grandpa, Mum and Breanna were featured in an article in the “Heidelberger” where Grandpa spoke of his years at the school.
When I leave Ivanhoe as a grade six student at the end of 2004, I will be the 10th person in my family to have completed their primary education here -maybe I won’t be the last!
