Collection: Elston Lea School | Invercargill Archives

School status

Closed school [1977 - 2004]. Merged with St. George Primary to form Fernworth Primary [Te Kura o Whare Pā] on the St. George site.

Dates

1984

Biographical / Historical

School site: 250 McQuarrie Street, Invercargill

In 1956, the area known as Georgetown Paddocks in South Invercargill was renamed as Elston Lea [Southland Times 20 June 1956, p.20].

In 1973, a survey was carried out to determine the need for a new primary school in south east Invercargill to take the pressure off St George School.

A site of five acres was acquired in McQuarrie Street, alongside the 10 acres set aside for the proposed Kingswell Intermediate. Tenders were called for in 1975 for an eight classroom school to be built. The contract was given to C.J. Robertson and the school was completed prior to its opening in February 1977. The opening roll was 186 students. The first Principal was Mr N. Gellatly. Elston Lea was the last new primary school to be built in Invercargill.

The school was closed at the end of 2004 and consolidated with St George to become Fernworth School on the St George site and Elston Lea Primary was sold by the Ministry to Ngāi Tahu in 2006. In 2016, the site was bought by the Cook Islands Christian Church Invercargill and operated as a church community centre until February 2023, when the building was severely impacted by a suspicious fire [Stuff 10 February 2023].

References:

Stuff

Ministry minutes

Southland Times 18 January 1977 Opening of Elston Lea School

Southland Times 11 March 1977 Opening of Elston Lea School