St Mary of the Angels, Guyra's Catholic primary school, reaches its centenary this year - and principal Sharon Wittig wants as many past students, staff, and families to join the celebrations in June.
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"To think that a Catholic school is still standing 100 years later, and doing a fabulous job of educating kids, and presenting the faith to them!" Mrs Wittig exclaimed.
She and her team of organisers - teachers Matthew Frizell, Tiffany Martin, and David Taylor - are planning a huge weekend.
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On Saturday, June 22, a three-course dinner (with grazing plates, a bar, and live music) will be held at the Guyra Community Hall. They expect about 150 attendees - including, they hope, the school's oldest ex-pupil, 101-year-old Ted Mulligan.
Sunday morning begins with mass at St Mary's church, and continues with a morning tea, a tour of the school, the unveiling of a centenary plaque, planting of centenary trees, and a BBQ lunch.
Mrs Wittig and her team also ask the public to share school photos or memorabilia with them. They would display them in the parochial hall for visitors to look at, laugh at, and bring back a few memories. Their treasures include books awarded as prizes in the 1920s, and a pen and 1919 theatre ticket found underneath the hall floorboards. For more information, call the school on 6779 1661 or email guyadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au.
Ursuline nuns from Armidale founded the school in 1919, in a convent next to St Mary's church, on a cold July morning.
The founding sisters weren't paid, but relied on local families for food and transport. They were, Mrs Wittig believes, the original career women: dedicated to both works and faith.
The little school was, for a time, Guyra's only secondary school (from 1921, reverting to a primary school in 1958). The Sisters of Mercy took over the school in 1969, while it became a lay Catholic school in 1980. Today, St Mary's has 91 pupils (14 in transition).
The changes over the past century, Mrs Wittig said, are unbelievable. "It's very exciting, when you contemplate what school was like when people first came here to what it is now."
Mrs Wittig first came here in her 20s, three years into her teaching career. She commuted from Uralla, and transferred to that town's school when her son was born - but returned as principal in 2003.
Her fellow organisers' involvement with the school goes back even longer. Tiffany Martin is the fourth generation of her family to attend, while Matthew Frizell is the third. Both began as pupils, then returned as teachers.
"The relationships between the students, teachers, and parish make this place really special," Mrs Wittig said. "The Catholic values are such a core part of everything that we do in this school. It's a caring, nurturing environment, and it's been like that the whole time I've had associations with the school."
RSVP by June 7. Tickets are available through St Mary of the Angels School Office. To book tickets, or if you have photos or memorabilia, call or email the school (contact details above). Tickets are also available through Anne Thrift at CT Electrics (6779 1273).
Nicholas Fuller
The exciting thing about journalism is the variety; one can explore the world, meet interesting people and write about it. I've sat in the caravan of an African circus ringmaster; I've squatted on my haunches in a plastic-sorting factory in the Mumbai slums, talking to the workers and drinking hot chai in plastic cups the size of thimbles; and I've interviewed Chinese cultural attachés, Danish football stars and Japanese drummers. Now I’ve come to the Northern Tablelands as a group journalist working across six of Fairfax’s mastheads. Living in New England is a return to country. My father’s side of the family lived here since the 19th century. My great-great-grandparents are buried in Ben Lomond. My great-grandmother and grandmother spent most of their lives in and around Glencoe and Glen Innes, and are both buried in Tamworth. My grandfather isn’t; his ashes are in a cupboard until we throw them in the Macdonald, near Bendemeer, where he used to fish. And my father cut his teeth as a cadet journalist on the Northern Daily Leader, before moving to Canberra, and studied history at UNE. Moving here is following in the family footsteps. Armidale seems charming: up here, in Australia’s highest city, one feels close to the sky. And the mixture of 1830s historic buildings; green, rain-washed hills, crowned with conifers; and one of the country’s leading universities give it a unique appeal. I completed my journalism qualifications last year, while freelancing for newspapers and magazines, and holding down a full-time job. I spent the end of last year in Sri Lanka, where I reported on visiting Buddhist dignitaries (from exotic Perth), UN development programs, Italian food weeks, and hotels in former war-zones. Previously, I worked as a writer and editor for the Australian Government in Canberra for a decade. In my day job, I briefed members of parliament about international relations, and wrote about agricultural aid programs to developing countries. Journalism, though, is where my heart lies. I want to experience life, rather than sit behind a desk. And, having grown up in Belgium, I want to be Tintin. I hope to get to know and love the region where my ancestors lived, while reporting on issues important to the Tablelands.
The exciting thing about journalism is the variety; one can explore the world, meet interesting people and write about it. I've sat in the caravan of an African circus ringmaster; I've squatted on my haunches in a plastic-sorting factory in the Mumbai slums, talking to the workers and drinking hot chai in plastic cups the size of thimbles; and I've interviewed Chinese cultural attachés, Danish football stars and Japanese drummers. Now I’ve come to the Northern Tablelands as a group journalist working across six of Fairfax’s mastheads. Living in New England is a return to country. My father’s side of the family lived here since the 19th century. My great-great-grandparents are buried in Ben Lomond. My great-grandmother and grandmother spent most of their lives in and around Glencoe and Glen Innes, and are both buried in Tamworth. My grandfather isn’t; his ashes are in a cupboard until we throw them in the Macdonald, near Bendemeer, where he used to fish. And my father cut his teeth as a cadet journalist on the Northern Daily Leader, before moving to Canberra, and studied history at UNE. Moving here is following in the family footsteps. Armidale seems charming: up here, in Australia’s highest city, one feels close to the sky. And the mixture of 1830s historic buildings; green, rain-washed hills, crowned with conifers; and one of the country’s leading universities give it a unique appeal. I completed my journalism qualifications last year, while freelancing for newspapers and magazines, and holding down a full-time job. I spent the end of last year in Sri Lanka, where I reported on visiting Buddhist dignitaries (from exotic Perth), UN development programs, Italian food weeks, and hotels in former war-zones. Previously, I worked as a writer and editor for the Australian Government in Canberra for a decade. In my day job, I briefed members of parliament about international relations, and wrote about agricultural aid programs to developing countries. Journalism, though, is where my heart lies. I want to experience life, rather than sit behind a desk. And, having grown up in Belgium, I want to be Tintin. I hope to get to know and love the region where my ancestors lived, while reporting on issues important to the Tablelands.
