Page 5 - William B. Lake

Tony Ostler was one of the school pupils at Pappinbarra School & recollects his time with Bill as
his teacher when he was around 10 years old: “At most there would have been up to a dozen
children attending. The teachers, and there were three all told over a period of time, always
boarded with our family; one teacher Bill Lake in particular, had a profound effect on my life as a
person which has benefitted me greatly. Unfortunately, he was to lose his life, while serving in the
R.A.A.F. during World War II.”

Obviously, Tony was incorrectly informed about Bill’s death in war service. But he was correct in
recognising the high death rate in the air force during the war. At 18 years old Tony had also
volunteered for service but in the Australian Infantry Forces (AIF). Following his training he saw
active war service in Bougainville (Papua New Guinea). He returned to Australia at the end of the
Pacific War and was discharged in Sydney after nearly 4 ½ years Army. He was only 22 years old.

Bill standing at rear with parents plus some of the pupils including
Tony Ostler (front left) & his brothers in the front row.

Formal Training as Primary School Teacher
Following his 2 years’ experience as a student teacher Bill formally attended the Armidale
Teachers’ College (ATC) during the period 1935-1936. The Teachers’ College was a relatively
new regional training school and had been opened in 1929 to allow for students from the northern
and more remote parts of NSW.

For the next 2 years Bill was a full-time student living away from home at Armidale. His experience
as a student teacher was clearly an asset for him. It was a critical period of learning for him in
preparation for a lifetime career as a teacher.

Following his graduation from Armidale Teachers’ College, he was appointed to the Chichester
Public School on 26 Jan 1937. This school was located near the Barrington Tops mountains
th
north-west of Newcastle.