Thomas Street State School Soup Centre...A Story In Photographs (1941).
This post is a continuation of the post 'Agnes Robertson And The Free Milk Council (Part 2).' published 9 October 2020 about the work of Agnes Roberston, a teacher at the Thomas Street State School in Subiaco and the soup centre the school established to feed children during the 1930's and 1940's. The post is copied below.
Recently while researching photographs for a story I found a wonderful collection of 20 photographs of the Thomas Street State School soup centre taken 1941. The photographs are from the West Australian.
The photographs are from the State Library of Western Australia. No copyright infringement intended.
Agnes Robertson And The Free Milk Council (Part 2). October 9, 2020.
This post is a continuation of the previous post ‘Agnes Robertson A School Teacher, Community Worker And Politician (Part 1)’ and the story of her involvement in the Free Milk Council getting free milk for children whose parents earned less than the basic wage at Thomas Street State School where she worked but also for all children throughout the state.
As child growing up and going to school in Perth in the late sixties and early seventies I remember getting free milk at school for morning tea that was available to all school children regardless of how much their parent’s earned. Reading the story of the soup kitchen at Thomas Street State School in the Daily News newspaper in 1941 broke my heart but full of admiration for the children spending their lunch time helping. Today the relationship between children not being hungry and successful learning are well documented.
While Agnes Robertson was a teacher at the Thomas Street School she started a Free Milk Campaign to give children free milk at the school. By 1941 the children were also receiving soup for lunch.
In 1938 the head teacher Mr. A.R. Morrison at Subiaco State School said that the physical benefits of milk to education were well known. He conducted an experiment on the benefit of the mental development of giving children free milk at morning tea. From the West Australian in July, 1938 “...Mr. A. R. Morrison, head teacher of the Subiaco State school, said that for 10 years the physical value of milk to education had been known, but last year he had carried out a test for the year at his school with two groups of children chosen for exact similarity in age, size and measurement, to observe the physical benefits, if any, and also to try to estimate any gain in mental development. Although it was difficult to measure the psychological results, the attitude of the child towards his work was so marked that a material benefit was indicated in his standard of attainment, particularly in cold weather. In every case it was found that the child whose diet was supplemented with milk gained more throughout the year than the child who was not getting milk. In winter the benefit of the milk was most marked on the children's attitude and mental brightness for even poorly clad children, after absorbing the warmth which the morning bottle of milk supplied, improved in their application to work, and their progress was outstanding...”
Trove the database for the National Library of Australia contains many articles on the campaign and letters by Agnes Robertson in Western Australian newspapers.
West Australian, 15 July 1938.
FREE MILK. Plea for under-nourished children.
The Claremont Municipal Council will consider in the next few days assisting the Free Milk Council in providing milk for indigent children in the municipality, in accordance with a request made on Monday night by a deputation from the latter body.
Introducing the deputation, Mrs. Cardell Oliver, M.L.A., said that a number of children in the district were undernourished because their parents could not afford to get milk for them and 45 were being supplied by the Free Milk Council, which paid £1 a year to dairymen for each child supplied. On learning that 58 children at South Perth had to be supplied by the milk council, the local road board had taken over the responsibility. Apart from those activities with which the milk council was affiliated, it gave milk to indigent children in 27 schools and throughout the State 1,200 people were being helped. If the council could help her organisation, the contribution would not result in any interruption of the present benefactions, but would enable it to help children not now receiving milk. The milk council investigated each case, and when it found that the domestic conditions justified it, free milk was supplied as far as funds permitted. Mr. A. R. Morrison, head teacher of the Subiaco State school, said that for 10 years the physical value of milk to education had been known, but last year he had carried out a test for the year at his school with two groups of children chosen for exact similarity in age, size and measurement, to observe the physical benefits, if any, and also to try to estimate any gain in mental development. Although it was difficult to measure the psychological results, the attitude of the child towards his work was so marked that a material benefit was indicated in his standard of attainment, particularly in cold weather. In every case it was found that the child whose diet was supplemented with milk gained more throughout the year than the child who was not getting milk. In winter the benefit of the milk was most marked on the children's attitude and mental brightness for even poorly clad children, after absorbing the warmth which the morning bottle of milk supplied, improved in their application to work, and their progress was outstanding. Throughout the State, 28 per cent of the children seen by the Health Department's medical officer were under-nourished. The expenses of the milk council were nil. This was a national problem, but until the Government took it in hand it was necessary to appeal to local authorities and private citizens to find the money.
Mrs. Robertson, of the staff of the Thomas-street State school, said that under-nourishment was found after, rather than during a depression. Children were now revealing that they lacked stamina. As a result of the lead of the Auckland Municipal Council supplying milk to under-nourished children, now all children in every school at Auckland received milk, supplied by the Government. This was to help not only the child, but also the dairy farmer.
Answering questions by the Mayor and councillors, members of the deputation said that the Free Milk Council obtained the milk at a concession price. For these special cases, the normal charge of 6d. a week for an Soz. bottle on school days was reduced to 5d. No opportunity was missed to impress on the Government its responsibilities in the matter. About 5,000 children in the metropolitan area should be receiving the free milk because of under-nourishment. It had been found that families on sustenance had no milk in the home. This was considered shocking in a country where, milk was plentifuL It was the hungry child who gave trouble leading to'the Children's Court. Cr. A .W. Crooks: There is any amount of milk available.
Daily News, 30 May 1941.
CHILDREN HAVE A SOUP KITCHEN
(By Gadabout Girl)
The midday bell rang at the Thomas-street State School just as I arrived there. Immediately a stream of children, clutching mugs, poured from the rooms out into the school ground. The only child left was one small girl, worriedly searching through her desk ‘Whats the matter Judith? asked teacher Mrs. A. R. Robertson . “Please, I've lost my penny for my soup.' Teacher supplied a penny on loan; and Judith grabbed her mug and set off hot-foot after her. class-mates.
I followed more leisurely, and was greeted by a glad cry from a group of small girls: “It’s got chicken in it today!”
320 Cups A Day
It's just over a week since the Free Milk Council, of which Mrs. Robertson is the secretary, started a soup kitchen in a pavilion in the grounds of the Thomas-street school. Already they serve about 320 cups of soup a day, and the number increases daily. It's good soup. I had a bowl while waiting for the busy organiser, Mrs. E. F. Martin, to get over the first rush.
“We serve different soup every day of the week,” Mrs. Martin said, unwrapping a pile of ham bones for today's pea-soup. “Five Perth butchers give us enough bones, the shops give us hambones, we get vegetables from, the markets. Perth trades-people are wonderful.” There's no crowding ground, the windows of the soup-kitchen. The children line up. Any who stray are pushed back by prefects who take duties seriously.
One helper takes the money - a penny for a big bowl of soup, and a substantial slice of wholemeal bread.
“Don’t give me five pennies change please,.” Said one youngster, proffering sixpence. Another hands out the bread. Two pour out the soup. Two give it out. Two wash up the returned bowls, which the children rinse first under the tap before handing back.
Necessitous cases, get free soup. They hand in a little wooden slip instead of a penny.
Mrs. Martin is assisted by Mrs. W. Ferstat and Mrs. W. J. McGuire, of the Free Milk Council, and parents of the children. But more helpers among the parents are needed, because it's a big job.
Mrs. Martin comes down on the 8 o'clock train from Darlington each day, catches the 5.30 p.m. train home.
After the soup has been dished out at lunchtime, the stock for the next day's soup is put on to boil. In the morning the stock is made up into the soup for that day.
The kitchen urgently needs two more coppers. If these could be provided, the organisers could make enough soup to deliver to five other schools in the district. Could any kind persons supply the coppers?
Dawn, 18 June 1941.
“...FOR CHILDREN
The W.A. Free Milk Council has extended its activities by the organisation of a soup kitchen at the Thomas-street State School. Voluntary helpers with the assistance of parents, pupils and teachers, are cooperating to serve hot, nourishing soup daily, at Id. per cup with slice of bread, to about 300 children. Some £692 was spent last year by the council on milk for undernourished children in the metropolitan area. When child endowment comes into operation the council will adjust its lists in accordance with its principle that only those children whose parents receive less than the basic wage, inclusive of child endowment will receive free milk, but whereas in the past finances would permit provision for those in infant classes only, it is now hoped to extend the scheme to all school children...”
