Forestry school building
A Vision Takes Root
In 1921, Ludlow became the home of Western Australia’s first Forestry School. Established under Conservator of Forests Charles Lane-Poole, it was created to train young forester cadets for practical field work and long-term forest management. The school operated until 1927 and became an important part of a broader shift in Western Australia from simply taking timber from the forest to growing and managing forests with greater planning and care.
Ludlow was a natural place for that vision to take root. Pine trials had already begun here in 1908, and the district was becoming an important site for nursery work, planting, and forestry experimentation. The school grew out of that setting, placing education, and field practice side by side in one working landscape.
Though it operated for only a few years, the Forestry School left a lasting mark. What was taught and tested here helped shape forestry practice in Western Australia for decades to come.
The Forestry School at Ludlow
The school opened in 1921 with a small intake of students and soon became known as a place of disciplined, practical training. Students came to Ludlow to learn the skills needed for forestry work in the field. Their studies were a combination of classroom-based Knowledge and in-field training that was tied closely to the forests, plantations, and management work underway across the South-West.
Life for the early cadets was not always easy. Before the school buildings were fully complete, some lived in tents and studied by kerosene lamp. Once the site was established, the school included accommodation and working facilities that supported both study and daily life. These details help show that the Forestry School was not only an idea on paper. It was a lived experience, shaped by effort, routine, and a shared sense of purpose.
Forestry School building — Western Australia’s first Forestry School operated at Ludlow from 1921 to 1927. Include this photo”Forestry School 1921” on the page Forestry school-500x300 enhanced GeoffPerks
Photo from the river looking through horse paddocks to the Ludlow Forestry School - Forestry school tennis courts and horses c1926
Early cadets – Draper and Rule on veranda of Forestry School C1925 - Draper and Rule Forestry School lads.jpg
Early cadets — Students trained here for practical forestry work in the field. Photo of some of the first students at the Forestry School L-r, Perry, Ross, Kinsella, Thomson and Glover. Forestry school lads 500x300 GeoffPerks photo NLA obj1337 2
Early Graduates reunion – Perry, Ross, Kinsella, Thomson and Glover first forester graduates at Ludlow school.png
Cadet camp or tents — Before the school was fully established, some students lived and studied in simple camp conditions. Include this photo of Bill Ross studying in his tent prior to the school building completion (early 1921)
Bill Ross studying in tent enhanced by Geoff PerksMud map of the site — The layout helps show how the school fitted into the wider Ludlow settlement plan. Photo of the original layout plan for the Ludlow Settlement site. FD plan 209 of Ludlow early days sketch map
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Closing
For a few short years, Ludlow was a place where dreams and careers began for young men. It was a place and a space that marked the beginning of forest management in Western Australia.