The Chidley Educational Centre was established in 1976 by the Education Department of Western Australia in Mosman Park as a result of advocacy by the Isolated Country Parents' Association. It was a short-term (six month) residential program for children from country areas who needed specialist learning support. In 1979, there were up to forty children aged between 6 and 13 years at Chidley. Chidley closed in 1998 and the building is now part of the St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls.
In February 2013, a former Chidley student got in touch with Find & Connect to pass on memories which included: regular trips to the beaches, walks along the sand bar and around the river, playing in the tunnels at the Leighton Battery, going to motor cross and go-kart events, and skateboarding. The school gave a lot of encouragement of students to teach each other how to operate and setup equipment including computers and audio visual equipment. Students would receive a certificate to show they had 'qualified' in these and other competencies. With a career still based around skills acquired at Chidley, this former student believes the school played a useful role in young people's development.
Sources used to compile this entry: Chidley [Newsletter excerpt] [Document], Date: 2000; Richardson, Brian E, 'An Attempt to Provide an Appropriate Education for the Learning Disabled Child from Remote Rural Areas of Western Australia [Session W-73]', in Annual International Convention, The Council for Exceptional Children, ERIC Clearinghouse, Western Australia, 22-27 April 1979, pp. Session W-73.
Prepared by: Debra Rosser
Created: 16 January 2012, Last modified: 20 June 2014