etes , ▁mark ets , ▁public ▁hol iday ▁celebr ations , ▁school ▁break - up ▁days , ▁fund rais ers , ▁pol ling ▁days , ▁sport ing ▁events , ▁reun ions , ▁and ▁d ances , ▁all ▁held ▁within ▁the ▁schools ' ▁buildings ▁and ▁grounds . ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁ 1 8 7 0 s , ▁the ▁far ming ▁community ▁at ▁North ▁P ine ▁sought ▁educational ▁facilities ▁for ▁the ▁local ▁children . ▁From ▁ 1 8 6 9 , ▁prov is ional ▁schools ▁were ▁the ▁alternative ▁to ▁national ▁schools ▁if ▁minimum ▁student ▁numbers ▁( 3 0 ) ▁could ▁not ▁be ▁met ▁( which ▁was ▁frequently ▁the ▁case ▁given ▁that ▁Queensland ' s ▁rural ▁population ▁was ▁small , ▁scattered ▁and ▁often ▁trans ient ). ▁Pro vis ional ▁schools ▁were ▁seen ▁as ▁a ▁convenient ▁means ▁of ▁providing ▁an ▁elementary ▁education ▁throughout ▁the ▁col ony ▁and ▁soon ▁became ▁an ▁integral ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁educational ▁landscape . ▁A ▁prov is ional ▁school ▁could ▁be ▁opened ▁with ▁as ▁few ▁as ▁ 1 5 ▁( l ater ▁ 1 2 ) ▁pup ils . ▁The ▁Board ▁of ▁General ▁Education ▁gave ▁financial ▁assistance ▁to ▁local ▁comm itte es ▁to ▁set ▁up ▁and ▁maintain ▁these ▁schools . ▁The ▁local ▁community ▁provided ▁a ▁building ▁( o ften ▁sl ab ▁and ▁sh ing le ) ▁and ▁found ▁a ▁teacher , ▁and ▁the ▁Board ▁paid ▁the ▁teacher ' s ▁sal ary ▁relative ▁to ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁pup ils . ▁The ▁prov is ional ▁teacher ▁was ▁often ▁badly ▁trained ▁and ▁poor ly ▁paid , ▁but