Objects of Substance- The Main Building and the keys to the

Gailey’s building has had many facelifts across the years. These renovations were created by modernisation (electricity in 1923); maintenance; catastrophic weather events (1985 hailstorm destroying the roof); and the demands and growth of a modern twentieth/twenty-first century school (for example 1989-90, 1998, 2000, 2016). However, the exterior integrity and functionality of the design was ultimately restored and celebrated.

1890 The Main Building

The earliest extant photograph of the building, from 1890, in black and white of course, gives a sense of the walls painted a pale colour, possibly white, with dark guttering and dark shutters framing the windows. The building was enhanced by lovely wrought iron balustrades on the verandas, and inside, the use of deep oak timber stair railings and balustrades containing mezzanine gallery, along with marble fireplaces, gave a warmth and beauty to the design. In the 1890 photo, one or two trees appear to grow in the front and by that time there is the famous white picket fence. At that moment in its history, there is no hint of a manicured or curated landscape.