Nurturing literacy and learning
The NSW Department of Education, in 1916, in the middle of World War 1, published the first edition of a free literary magazine for public school children that was aptly titled: The School Magazine.
At the time this was seen to be quite bold and innovative.
To put this into context: when the first edition of The School Magazine made its way to schools it was no doubt delivered in some parts by horse and cart; Australian troops, having just been withdrawn from Gallipoli, were fighting on the Western Front and elsewhere; Australia’s population was under five million and the Prime Minister was Billy Hughes; Model T Ford cars were rolling off the world’s first automated production lines.
The School Magazine has been published continuously since then — through two World Wars, the Depression, the Moon landings and many Olympic Games. The stories, poems and plays published throughout these events reflect the times, making The School Magazine a unique documentation of Australia’s history.