O’Connell Public School is a small, rural primary school. It is a member of the Bathurst Small Schools Alliance and as of 2014 had seventy-six students enrolled.[1] The school has only three teaching staff with an additional two administrative/support staff.

O’Connell Public School acknowledges the importance of encouraging young children to critically engage with history and the benefits of studying history that is directly relevant to the students and the local community. As one of the few community infrastructures in the rural town, the school acts as an anchor for the wider community. The school will be celebrating its 150^th anniversary in 2019.

This report stems from the time I spent organising and digitalising the O’Connell Public School records as well as the individual research I have undertaken since. I also consulted with Mr. Brown, a long serving teacher at O’Connell Public school, who, although he has retired, is still active in the community and has a passion for history. His goal is to produce a book for the school detailing the history of the O’Connell Public School and has set his deadline for 2019, the year of the 150^th anniversary. As such, it became clear to me that this report should not only be directed towards the school, with suggestions on how best to commemorate such an event, but also for the research and writing of the book which will be a crucial part of how the School looks back on its past.

— SARAH GRAHAM