150 not out: Bellbrae Primary School students and staff spell out the reason for their celebration this Saturday.
ERIN PEARSON
YVONNE Sumner still remembers when the school principal did the teaching, accounting and sometimes even the plumbing.
She also remembers Bellbrae Primary School’s parents association giving staff the “best Christmas dinners ever” and when typewriters and stenciling machines preceded computers and photocopiers.
The former 20-year secretary of staff said she was looking forward to sharing her stories when the school celebrated its 150th birthday this Saturday.
“At one stage in the Kennett era he was shutting schools and there was something put in the paper saying Bellbrae was next but it never happened,” Ms Sumner remembered.
“We had parents writing petitions and I wrote letters but we coped very well after that.”
The former Jan Juc School was built on the banks of Spring Creek in 1861.
Victoria’s school number 319 opened with 35 children.
Now, after a century and a half and a move 400 metres along School Road, it has 320.
Acting Principal Adrian Waters observed that the school’s zoning to restrict enrolments was a far cry from when numbers fell to around 15 in the ’60s and ’70s.
“You’d be surprised what children consider old. Anything pre-dating the iPod and Wii is considered olden times,” Mr Waters said.
“A classroom without a computer or an interactive whiteboard is unimaginable.”
The 150th anniversary celebrations will begin at midday, with an official ceremony at 2pm.
Mr Waters encouraged past and present students to attend.
