By Heather Wade, 2025.
After the internees left the Harvey Internment Camp in 1942 the site was used for training and educational purposes until 2001. The Rural Training School ran from 1947 to 1952 but little attention has been paid to it; here I try to rectify that with information from the newspapers of the day.
The site has been used for:
Harvey Internment Camp (Sept 1940-Apr 1942)
The 3rd Australian Corps Training School (1942-1945),
Rural Training Centre/School (June 1947 to February 1952)
Harvey Agricultural High School (February 1953 to 2000)
In March 1946, Mr Tonkin, Minister for Agriculture, explained the functions of the rural training school and what would be offered:
RURAL TRAINING. A SCHOOL AT HARVEY. Muresk Diploma Course. The Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Tonkin) said yesterday that he had received approval of the estimates submitted by the Department of Agriculture for the establishment of a training school in agriculture at Harvey for approved ex-servicemen. The approval followed a request from the Commonwealth Government early last year for the State to undertake the responsibility of conducting such rural training as might be necessary to enable returned servicemen to be established ultimately on the land.
The organisation of the various avenues of training, he said, was being carried out by Mr. N. Davenport, an officer of the Department of Agriculture. He had been appointed Deputy Co-ordinator of Rural Training and had visited the Eastern States to confer with the Commonwealth and examine proposals and arrangements being made in other States. Mr. Tonkin said that the training scheme was intended to assist ex-service personnel who were returning to their own farms or taking up farms either by private arrangement or under the War Service Land Settlement Scheme. Such personnel might wish only a refresher course to become familiar with developments in agriculture in recent years, while others might desire more extensive experience, particularly of a practical nature.
Types of Training.
Four types of training, he said, would be provided. These were:
Practical training on farms for those requiring practical experience.
An Intensive or refresher course of about eight weeks where personnel were engaged previously in agriculture.
Special diploma course at the Muresk Agricultural College for those who wish to engage in the technical aspects of agriculture.
[and] Miscellaneous courses.
Referring to practical training on farms, the Minister said that over 50 local committees had been formed throughout the agricultural areas, with a view to advising about farms in their districts considered suitable for training purposes. The response from road boards in forming those local training committees had been excellent, notwithstanding that when the committees were being formed it was impossible to give exact details of the training scheme. As matters had developed, however, it appeared that there would not be a large number of ex-servicemen requiring that type of practical training immediately, but it was hoped that the local committees which had been formed already would be prepared to continue their assistance when requested to do so later.
Short Refresher Course. The short refresher course, he said, was designed to supply an understanding of the elementary business and agricultural principles of farming and farm management to those who already had had thorough practical experience prior to joining the Forces. It was thought that the intensive course should be of particular benefit to those obtaining rural loans for re-establishment, nearly all of whom would be eligible for the course under the provisions of the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme.
The site for the school was in a portion of the former prisoner of war camp at Harvey, the buildings of which were converted to provide comfortable housing facilities, workshops, etc. It was expected that the alterations, which were now being put in hand, would be completed within about three months.
The Minister said that four trainees had taken up residence at Muresk Agricultural College for the course in the Diploma of Agriculture. That was the full complement that the college could accommodate this year in addition to the normal students.
Under the miscellaneous courses Mr. Tonkin said that an intensive course in poultry farming was being planned which would cover several weeks during the August vacation. It would be carried out at the Muresk Agricultural College.
Mr. Tonkin expressed satisfaction at the progress of the scheme, plans for which had been developed during the last few months in anticipation of Commonwealth approval where necessary, arrangements could be made to place trainees on approved farms immediately for practical experience. The short intensive course was being planned to begin at Harvey in June. By the establishment of these two facilities the great majority of successful applicants for training might be accommodated. [1]
In June 1946, with an eye to the future, Laurie Grieves of Harvey suggested that when the Rural Training School had served its purpose, the School be used as an Agricultural College:
Rural Training School; RETENTION URGED
With portion of the old Harvey Internment Camp being transformed into a Rural Training School which would only be required for a certain number of years, Mr. L. R. Grieves at the June meeting of the Harvey Road Board, said he would like to see the board urge through its Parliamentary representative, for the retention of the school as an Agricultural College, when rural training was concluded. It was decided to take this matter up with Mr. D. R. McLarty, M.L.A., with a request that he endeavour to have the set-up retained and converted to an Agricultural College for the South-West.[2]
In July 1946, Mr Grieves tabled the Minister’s response:
“The Minister informed me that an inspection has been made of the Harvey commonage and a report called for as to its suitability for the establishment of an Agricultural College. The report to the Minister states that there is insufficient good land and does not recommend it as suitable for the proposal. The Minister said he considers the Harvey district the desirable place to establish an Agricultural College and he intends to visit the district accompanied by his advisers from the Agricultural and Education Departments when a suitable opportunity presents itself with a view to selecting a site.”[3]
The Minister was ultimately correct in that ‘insufficient good land’ did hamper the growth and functioning of the Agricultural College until the whole college moved to Wokalup in 2000.
In August 1946 with the appointments of senior staff, the Harvey Rural Training School was nearly ready for the first student intake:
Rural Training- School at Harvey
Situated in the old military camp on the Harvey Commonage, it is expected that the Agricultural Rehabilitation Rural Training School will be ready to receive students in the near future. Mr. Tom Lutz, lately of the Department of Agriculture at Waroona, has been appointed Principal, and Mr. Brian Williams, of the same department at Fremantle, has been appointed assistant. Further appointments are expected to be made shortly. The school will have accommodation for 40 to 50 students at a time. Courses will take from a fortnight to three months, according to the course taken, and the school is expected to remain in existence for about four years.[4]
June 1947 was a milestone when the first group commenced training:
RURAL TRAINING CENTRE; Training Commences.
The first group of trainees under the Commonwealth Reconstruction Scheme commenced a course of training at the Harvey Rural Training Centre on Monday last. The course, which is being taken by 48 trainees will last about eight weeks, when another batch of trainees will commerce training. The centre will be officially opened by the Premier, Mr. D. McLarty, on Tuesday next. The centre, which is being conducted by the State Department of Agriculture on behalf of the Commonwealth, is situated on the main South Western Highway about a mile north of Harvey.
During the war the centre was used by the Department of the Army as an internment camp for enemy aliens and later as a military training school. Existing buildings have been utilised or altered to suit the requirements of the training centre. There are three lecture rooms to seat 25, 30 and 50 trainees, respectively, each being fitted with the necessary blackboards and screens for use with 16mm sound film and 35mm. strip film projectors. The lecture rooms also have individual tables and chairs for each trainee. In addition to the lecture rooms there are plumbing, metalwork, blacksmiths and carpentry workshops and a wool shed where trainees will be given practical training in these subjects. Included in the school plant is a tractor and a selection of farming implements covering all phases of general farm work. Two 24-seater buses will be used for transporting trainees on field demonstrations. Seven buildings will be used as sleeping quarters, each trainee having his own lock-up cubicle furnished with a cyclone stretcher and bedding, dressing and bedside tables and a wardrobe. Another block of building contains the kitchen and a dining room large enough to seat the staff and trainees. Large reading and Recreation rooms are also provided. The school staff includes the principal (Mr. K. T. Lutz), a secretary and resident instructors for farmcrafts and farm mechanics. Lectures will also be given by visiting instructors, mainly from the Department of Agriculture.[5]
Harry Armstrong with his wife Hazel on arrival or departure from the Harvey Rural Training Centre in 1947… Harry had served in the 2/11th Battalion and had spent time as a prisoner of war. He was allocated a war service farm near Bindi Bindi. Photo is courtesy of their daughter Elizabeth Bradshaw. (Courtesy of Memories of Harvey Facebook)
In June 1947 the living conditions were described, the nature of the short courses and the reason for including them:
… Those who remember the internment camp at Harvey will realise what an ideal situation it is for the training centre. The camp has been arranged so that each trainee will have his own separate furnished room. Hot and cold showers, a well-equipped laundry will add to his comfort, and there will be a library and recreation room provided.
The course embraces latest developments in agriculture and emphasises the importance of the business aspect of farming. In addition to practical demonstrations in all kinds of agricultural machines, short intensive courses in carpentry, blacksmithing, metal work, oxywelding and concrete work will be held. Mr. Wood explained that these short intensive courses should prove of considerable value to those who have been in the service for some years, as they had been designed not so much to train applicants in the practice of agriculture as to place before them general principles and recent developments in agriculture, which would assist in solving the various problems likely to occur under modern farming conditions.[6]
As the men were ex-servicemen, they swelled the numbers of the Harvey RSL meetings:
HARVEY R.S.L., Monthly Meeting MANY MEMBERS PRESENT. Mr. A. E. Ball presided over a good attendance of members at the monthly meeting of the Harvey subbranch of the R.S.L. on Tuesday night, when he welcomed the Principal (Mr. K. T. Lutz) and the secretary (Mr. A. V. Tunstill) of the Harvey Rural Training Centre. Among those present were a number of trainees from the centre including men from Wagin, Tambellup, Dumbelyung, Karridale, Carnamah, Hakea, Manjimup, Mt Hawthorn and Nedlands.[7]
Broadening the criteria allowed more men to attend the training:
RURAL SCHOOL AT HARVEY Any ex-serviceman who worked his own farm or who had reasonable expectation of becoming a farm owner was now eligible to enrol at the Harvey Rural Training Centre, the deputy coordinator of rural training (Mr. N. Davenport) said yesterday. Mr. Davenport said that since the centre opened in 1947 over 700 trainees had attended the short courses of instruction in the principles of farming and farm management. Until recently attendance had been restricted to those ex-servicemen who had been accepted under the Commonwealth Reconstruction training scheme or who had been nominated for training by the war service land settlement authority.[8]
The School closed in 1952:
FARM SCHOOL CLOSING
THE Commonwealth Postwar Reconstruction Rural Training School at Harvey would close down on February 22. So said Moore MHR H. A. Leslie before his return to Canberra yesterday. During its five years of operation, the school had instructed about 250 ex-servicemen. Another 900 had taken the course as a refresher under the War Service Land Settlement Scheme. The value of the training and knowledge gained by students during the eight-week intensive course had led to the hope that the school would continue after having met the requirements of the Commonwealth, and that it would be taken over by the State, Mr. Leslie said. The opportunity was too good and the facility, too valuable from a State point of view to be lost.
Consideration. It is understood that the State Government is considering the possibility of using the property in its entirety for agricultural education purposes. An inventory is now being made of the property before its handing over to the Commonwealth property office for disposal.[9]
Trainees from the first course provided at Harvey in July 1947. Photos above and below are courtesy of Elizabeth Bradshaw whose father Harry Armstrong was in the group. (Courtesy of Memories of Harvey Facebook)
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[1] 1946 ‘RURAL TRAINING.’, The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 – 1954), 28 March, p. 8. , viewed 29 Apr 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50332942
[2] 1946 ‘Rural Training School’, Harvey Murray Times (WA : 1931 – 1955), 28 June, p. 1. , viewed 29 Apr 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article251096297
[3] 1946 ‘Agricultural College At Harvey?’, The Preston Mail and District Advocate (Collie, WA : 1932 – 1953), 13 July, p. 12. , viewed 29 Apr 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article266626602
[4] 1946 ‘Rural Training School at Harvey’, Harvey Murray Times (WA : 1931 – 1955), 30 August, p. 2. , viewed 29 Apr 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article251096924
[5] 1947 ‘RURAL TRAINING CENTRE’, The Harvey-Waroona Mail (Collie, WA : 1931 – 1956), 27 June, p. 1. , viewed 29 Apr 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article259328942
[6] 1947 ‘Rural Training School at Harvey’, Harvey Murray Times (WA : 1931 – 1955), 13 June, p. 1. , viewed 29 Apr 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article251099927
[7] 1947 ‘HARVEY R.S.L.’, The Harvey-Waroona Mail (Collie, WA : 1931 – 1956), 11 July, p. 3. , viewed 26 Jul 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article259329783
[8] 1950 ‘RURAL SCHOOL AT HARVEY’, The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 – 1954), 25 February, p. 11. , viewed 13 May 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47831396
[9] 1952 ‘FARM SCHOOL CLOSING’, The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 – 1955), 19 February, p. 3. (FINAL), viewed 29 Apr 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article265900572