Mt Buller is well known as one of Australia’s premier alpine resorts, but it is also home to one of the country’s most unique educational stories.
As families began settling and working year-round on the mountain during the 1960s, the need for a local school became increasingly important.
Children living on the mountain previously had limited educational options, often requiring travel off the mountain or informal arrangements for schooling.
In 1965, members of the Mt Buller community took matters into their own hands and organised a teacher to educate local children.
Classes were initially conducted in a variety of makeshift locations, including family homes, ski hire businesses, restaurants and lodge facilities.
These early classrooms reflected the pioneering spirit of the mountain community, with parents and local business owners working together to ensure children received an education despite the challenges of alpine life.
The school was officially recognised by the Victorian Education Department as Mount Buller Primary School No. 4959, opening on 28 September 1966.
The first official teacher was Miss J. Nelson, although teaching had already been taking place through community-funded arrangements before government recognition was granted.
During its early years, classes continued to operate from several locations around the village.
Former students recall learning in the Bull Run Canteen, the Kooroora Chalet, ski hire buildings and other temporary spaces before a dedicated school building was eventually established behind Molony’s Ski Shop (now known as George’s Ski Hire), where the current Village Toboggan Park is located.
The school’s small enrolments created a close-knit learning environment where children of different ages often learnt together in the one portable.
Mt Buller Primary School served the mountain community throughout a period of significant growth for the resort.
As skiing and tourism expanded during the late 1960s and early 1970s, the school played an important role in supporting families who chose to live and work permanently in the alpine village.
The original school operated until 1 January 1976, when it officially closed.
However, education on Mt Buller did not disappear.
Schooling continued through various arrangements and later evolved into the current mountain campus model linked with schools in the Mansfield district.
Today, students living on the mountain still have access to education on-site, continuing a tradition that began 60 years ago.
Sue Steel is one of the current teachers and started with the school in 2006.
Her husband, Mick Stapleton, is a local ski patroller who commenced duties in 1985 on Mt Buller.
Sue keeps returning because of her passion for the local community.
And it gives her great joy watching her young students evolve into ‘mountain people’, who grow to love the environment as much as she and Mick.
And of course, their daughter Marty went through the primary school, with locals including Olympian Jakara Anthony, ski patroller Ally Laidlaw and Olympic biathlon hopeful Boris Stanish.
The history of Mt Buller Primary School is a story of community determination, adaptability and the commitment of mountain families to ensuring their children could learn and thrive in one of Australia’s most distinctive environments.
There will be a 60-year celebration in July and, in true primary school tradition, the fairy bread will be consumed by the loaf.
All alumni are invited, please reach out to Sue Steel at susan.steel@education.vic.gov.au.