The Smyth Medal was awarded to school children in honour of Mr William Smyth, MLA.

Mr Smyth was one of Gympie’s successful (wealthiest) men from his career as mayor and alderman, mine manager, investor and company director (1). Smyth died in 1899 however after his death, his wife, Ellen donated (2) and presented gold Smyth Medals to the best overall proficient boy and girl (in only the fourth, fifth and sixth class grades) at three Gympie schools, annually from 1900 to 1917: Monkland, Central Boys and Girls, and One Mile Boys and Girls schools.

In 1909, at the Monkland School end of year breakup, Mayor Burbidge presented Smyth awards and requested three hearty cheers for each (3).

The medal itself were 15ct gold and weighed almost half an ounce (4).

The prestigious award was at times, contentious among parents, with Head Mistress Ms Hood of One Mile Girls School often having to explain or alleviate “anxious” or agitated parents. In 1907, Hood (5) had to alleviate worries via a letter to the editor in The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette about a recipient being over the age limit. Again in 1908, Ms Hood wrote and addressed (6) confusion over the Smyth Medal examinations, which in turn received replies in further editions of the newspaper (7) (8).

The Smyth Medallist Recipients – One Mile, Monkland (Central School~ in progress)

Year	Boys – One Mile	Girls – One Mile	Boys – Monkland	Girls – Monkland	Boys – Central	Girls – Central
1900	Wilfred J. Trudgian	Winifred Lloyd	Marcus Grealy	Florence Venning	John Frame	Florence Bradshaw
1901	George Brown	Ida Angrove	William Weller	Esther Lilian Smith	Roy Millar	Ada Dobbs
1902	Joseph H. Corley	Jane Fleming	Hugh Carroll	Minnie Finch	Ernest Ambrose	Ida Pilcher
1903	Francis Jennings Hudson	Kathleen Killeen	Stuart Scougal	Edith E. Smith	H. Jenkins	Agnes Conwell
1904	Andrew Anderson	Jessie Rowe	Thomas A. Smith	Mary Reid	James Cavaye	Frances E. Bradshaw
1905	Archie Loosemore	Alice Beck	W. W. Erickson	Elsie Younger	Cyril Mitchell	Gladys Davies
1906	Alf Loosemore	Grace Brown	Matt McMahon	Fanny Griffin	William McNicol	Sylvia Burbidge? (tbc)
1907	Alfred Percy Gough	M. Richards	Thomas Ritchie	Elsie Healy	William Kay	Mabel McFie
1908	Cyril Deacon	Edith McKenzie	John Brooks	Dolly McIntosh	George M. Waddell	Ethel Neal
1909	Jas (James). L. Graham	Ethel M. Bauer	Rudolph Power	Gwen James	Kenneth MacCallum	Stella Richmond
1910	Herb Kaeshagen	not published, unknown	Thomas Honeyman	Lena Cork	Edwin Foster	Edith Stitt
1911	C. Auchterlonie	Eva McFadden	James Florence	Bella Venning	Peter Green	Amy Draper
1912	H. Goldsworthy	Nellie Graham	W. B. Florence	May Wintour	William Henry Kelly	Dorothy Harris
1913	G. Hughes	Florence Brown	J. Saunders	Gwen Williams	Walter Foster	Evelyn/Eveline Cundith
1914	Wm. (William) Davies	Elsie McCormack	Brinley R. Williams	Marie K. Arnell	George Henry	Doris Sanday
1915	Fred Bauer	Beryl King	Edward Heiniger	Helena Broe	Blair Boddington	Ettie Dunstan
1916	Andrew Brown	May Dee	Sam Weller	Rose Heiniger	C. J. Nash	Merle Sedgman
1917	Thos. (Thomas) Milfull	Elsie Bradley	Jack Hughes	Jessie Turner	Stanley D. Traill	Thelma Thurecht

References:

(1) Ferguson, J., & Brown, E. (2009). The Gympie goldfield 1867-2008. Gympie Regional Council.

(2) Brisbane Courier. Thursday 17 December 1914, page 4

(3) The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, Saturday 11 December 1909, page 4.

(4) Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum. http://www.museum.gympiegoldmuseum.com.au/files/other/FF-1-FEB-SMYTH-MEDAL.pdf

(5) The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette. Saturday 21 December, 1907, page 3.

(6) The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, Tuesday 15 December 1908, page 3

(7) The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, Thursday 17 December 1908, page 3

(8) The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, Thursday 24 December 1908, page 4