The Gogo school was inside a limestone cave which had been cut out of a hill near the old Gogo homestead. During WWII it was used to store station vehicles and fuel.
It was the first school established on a remote pastoral station, allowing children to attend school On Country rather than being sent to a town or mission.
Near the Gogo Station homestead
Gogo remained an active station and schoolchildren were taught to work with horses and farm equipment as part of their learning. Many of the children had parents or older relatives who worked nearby.
BA124-70 Gogo Bible and Big Paddy preaching at Gogo Station c 1957
Despite not being a mission school, religion was a big part of life at Gogo. Christianity was thought to be an improvement on traditional culture and children were raised to read, write and speak in English.
Children with bat
As the first remote school in Western Australia, Gogo was the first to explore the importance of keeping education close to kin and country.
It was viewed as a much better alternative to town or city missions, though it too was based in English literacy rather than traditional languages or culture.
Juniors - the three bears - Gogo Station
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