In 1966 the Peacock and DeBoick families settled in Albion Park Rail. Beth DeBoick and Betty Peacock decided to join the Ladies Social Tennis Club so they could become involved in the community. One day a little girl ran onto the court and was hit in the eye with a tennis ball and nearly blinded. This incident put the thought into Betty’s head that they needed a place where the children could play safely while their mothers enjoyed their tennis. The seeds for Koninderie were sown!

About this time the Peacock’s neighbour wasn’t settling very well and decided to go back to England but didn’t want to sell their house in case they wanted to come back to Australia. So Betty suggested that they rent the house and use it as a preschool. Betty and Beth’s husbands, Norman Peacock and Harry DeBoick, and another neighbour made suitable furniture and adapted the house to take in eight children. Eventually they found that they were mostly caring for teachers’ children as their hours suited them.

The name Koninderie came about because one day Betty was out in the garden and saw the most beautiful rainbow she had ever seen. When they tried to register the preschool as “Rainbow” they discovered that someone else had used it so searched for the Aboriginal name which is “Koninderie”.

Beth, Betty and the children had some happy times in that little house but eventually the neighbour decided to come back to Australia, so they had to move.

History of Koninderie Preschool
History of Koninderie Preschool

The Uniting Church at Albion Park offered their hall, and this turned out to be advantageous as they were able to accommodate sixteen children. Once again Norman and Harry came to the rescue and adapted the building for them, making furniture. Finally, they moved to the current location, then used as the Anglican Church in Albion Park Rail, and were allowed to take 24 children!

This also meant a big commitment from Harry and Norman, as they had to convert the preschool into a church each Friday evening and back into a preschool on Sunday evening. Some of the parishioners helped with the alterations needed to this building.

All through the moves and changes, they had regular visits from the Child Welfare Department, and although each time, they had suggestions of how to improve things, they always had their licence renewed.

Several ladies from the church and some of the mothers volunteered as helpers with the children over the years. Many people in the community worked and helped out at the preschool before and after being turned into a proper business venture, with raised fees and a director appointed.

Eventually in 1977, Norman and Betty went to work in Darwin and handed the business side of things over to Ron Fletcher.

Beth stayed on working there until she was sixty years old.

Enrolment Application

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