ERA history at a glance

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Many years before ERA there was another alternative school close to our Donvale site. Read the recollections of a Koornong student.

Many years after Era, a bit of Era lives on at Village School.

Speech by Clive Rossiter at the Era 40 year reunion on November 26th 2011. (Contains lots of historical stuff!)

Please help us to fill in the blanks!
If you can recall any gory details of historical significance, contact Guy to have them added.
Plays, Erafests, Ollie's Orgies, the invention of Smangle, schools camps, travelling shows, student trials, Footy matches against Tenaden, teacher sackings, 'Dove' stripping naked... all the good stuff.

Year	Events
1968	Oct 31st: A meeting is organised by the Preshil group and World Education Fellowship to discuss the creation of a secondary school to complement Preshil. A provisional council/steering committee of the proposed 'Education Reform Association' is formed, chaired by prominent educationist David Fearon.
1969	Formal inauguration of the Education Reform Association occurs, and a glossy prospectus for the proposed school is produced.
1970	Principal-elect William Callendar (from Caulfield Grammar) baulks at the 11th hour and is replaced by David Bennett as the first Era Principal. Construction of the permanent school on 13 acres in Donvale commences, with regular working bees to remove blackberries, etc. October 27th: Preshil withdraws official support and initiates plans to start its own secondary school. This is the year of Woodstock in the US.
1971	Era school opens at temporary premises, the 'White House' in Warrandyte, with 89 students (in forms 1 and 2 only) and 6 staff members. September 19th: An official Era opening ceremony with ribbon cutting is held at the Donvale site.
1972	Era moves to the permanent site in Donvale. David Bennett resigns under duress after a disagreement with Council and Peter Fawssett is appointed Acting Principal.
1973	Tom Deamer is appointed Principal by council. A.S. Neill, founder of Summerhill, dies.
1974
1975	Tom Deamer is controversially sacked. Clive Rossiter is appointed as Acting Principal. The first wave of students complete their HSC. Era Primary school is established.
1976	Clive Rossiter is appointed as Principal.
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985	The last wave of Era students complete their HSC. Clive Rossiter retires and is Era's longest serving Principal.
1986	Peter Gough is appointed as Principal. New enrolments are only taken up to year 10 and only one student, Eve Merton, does HSC.
1987	Enrolments are again only taken up to year 10. The school is finally closed in April due to a financial crisis triggered by a 'second mortgage' deal falling through.