By Luke Voogt
The original class of Geelong’s first technical girls school gathered in the city’s CBD for its 60th reunion Saturday.
Lara grandmother Lynn Jenkin was one of 28 former year seven students from Geelong West Technical Girls School attending the class of ’57.
‘We were carrying on like we were 12-year-olds back in school,” the 72-year-old said.
“It was great – we were talking about the antics we’d get up to. I was told I haven’t changed.”
The school began in Geelong West Presbyterian Church, which burnt down in a suspicious fire last April.
“We had 94 students but no school building,” Lynn said.
The school moved to Manifold Heights in what was, until May last year, Geelong’s Mosque.
“That got burned down too!” Lynn said.
In 1958 it moved into what is now part of Gordon TAFE, and in 1959 it moved to its final home on Minerva Road, where it stayed for decades.
Lynn remembered an era of trestle tables and ink wells, and having to catch two buses from her East Geelong home with her friend Elizabeth.
“Often we used to walk all the way to save our bus fare, so we could buy material for our dresses for the Saturday night dances.”
