Little
Bendigo Primary School was established in 1878. It has a rich history
developing from the gold rush years. The history of the school has been
carefully documented by a previous parent of the school. We are extremely
grateful for the time and work that has gone into this project and now have the
information published. If you would like to purchase a copy of this book please
contact the school.
Our history raises
interest in why the school is called Little Bendigo when it is in Ballarat.
There are a few stories to answer this question. Below is an excerpt from the
book about a pugilist to give a few clues as to one of the reasons.
THE NAME LITTLE BENDIGO
Eighteen
hundred and forty five,
From
London down to Nottingham
The
roads were all alive;
Oh!
such a sight was never seen,
Believe
me it is so,
Tens
of thousands went to see the fight,
With
Ben Caunt and Bendigo.
And
near to Newport Pagnell,
Those
men did strip so fine,
Ben
Caunt stood six foot two and an half,
And
Bendigo five foot nine,
Ben Caunt a giant did appear,
And
made the claret flow,
And
he seemed fully determined
Soon
to conquer Bendigo.
Chorus: With their hit away and slash away,
So
manfully you see,
Ben
Caunt has lost and Bendigo
Has gained the victory.
