Perth Voice Interactive

LOCAL historian and ex-North Perth Primary School parent Susanna Iuliano brings us this history of North Perth Primary School and its foundation principal Joshua Hammill. A facebook page for updates on the March 16 anniversary fair has been set up under the name “125 Years of North Perth Primary School”.

IN 2024, North Perth Primary School celebrates its 125th anniversary.  

To mark the occasion, the school has begun planning a range of activities that will shine a light on its history and bring together generations of former and current students in celebration. 

“We’re hosting a family fun fair on Saturday 16 March that will include history walking tours, stalls, rides, and food,” North Perth Primary principal Andrew Streeton said. 

“This will be a wonderful community event that will culminate with a fireworks show

“In the lead-up to the celebrations, we also wanted to honour our founding principal, Joshua Hammill, by naming a lane beside the school in his honour.

Hammill Lane

“Hammill Lane is a fitting tribute to the teacher who established our school community way back in 1899.”  

Joshua Hammill’s granddaughter Meg Dyson and her family shared information and photos about her grandfather’s life with the school and with the City of Vincent’s local history centre which helped to support the lane naming proposal.  

Born in 1872 in South Australia, Joshua Hammill came to Western Australia in 1896 as a 24-year-old teacher.

He worked initially as an assistant at Highgate School. 

In 1899, a new school was established in North Perth to service the growing community in the area and Hammill was appointed head teacher. 

The school was originally called Toorak, then Woodville school after the fancy names of the first housing subdivisions in the area. 

It was then renamed North Perth State School in 1904.   

When Hammill began his role as head teacher at the new school in North Perth, there were 131 students and only two staff; Hammill and his assistant Amy Ottaway.

He was able to quickly expand the school and recruit more staff to cope with the rapidly growing demand for schooling in the burgeoning suburb of North Perth. 

Under Hammill, the school population grew to 555 students along with 10 assistant teachers.

Hammill lived next door to the school in Albert Street with his wife Annie Florence Mitchell whom he married in 1901 and had two children, Irene Elizabeth (1902) and Gwendoline May (1904).

He served as head teacher at North Perth State School for 14 years until he was transferred to Victoria Park in 1913.  

Aside from his role in establishing the school, Hammill was also active in the broader North Perth community and in teacher advocacy in WA.

He played a prominent role in the foundation of the state teacher’s union in 1898, and variously served as the union’s secretary, president and editor of the Teacher’s Journal. 

Hammill was also a well-known figure in the establishment of lawn bowling in Western Australia. 

He was the foundation secretary of the North Perth Bowls Club (1907-1911) then later secretary of the WA Bowls Association for various terms in the 1910s and 1920s.

He also became the WA delegate and later president of the Australian Bowling Council, a role he was serving in at the time of his death in 1936.

He was also a regular contributor to the West Australian, writing news and amusing articles (mostly relating to bowling) under the pseudonym Noah Little. 

His 1936 obituary in the West Australian pays particular tribute to his passion for bowls and his role in development of the sport in Western Australia and Australia (The West Australian, January 10, 1936).