Community farewells Corio school

Andrew Mathieson
NUMBERS are a constant reminder to Lyn Creece of all the years she taught kids at Rosewall Primary School.
They roam around in her head as the Corio school’s longest-serving teacher and the only one that has remained since the opening of its unique building, set to close at the end of the year.
Mrs Creece remembers arriving in time to find a classroom among the school’s open-plan design in 1979.
“We had 520 kids that year and it was the only year we had just the building,” she says.
“In 1980 we had about 600 and we had classes where there shouldn’t have been classes.
“Instead of four in each unit, there were six classes.
“Then the next year they had to bring the portables in again.
“I remember that in 1981 we took in 150 preps, or something like that, so there was six classes of nearly 30 preps.
“The numbers grew bigger and during the ‘80s we peaked at about 760 students.”
Rosewall, which opened in 1977 with a few portables, will shut its doors and merge with Corio Primary School next year.
State Government created the school to meet increasing demand in the area. However, the Government has attributed dwindling enrolments to less than 60 pupils this year for the decision to close.
Mrs Creece prefers to remember better times.
“I loved the open-plan because it gave you a lot of flexibility in the school,” she says.
“It will be strange to go back into a classroom with a door.”
School staff, children and parents have been organising a Back to Rosewall day tomorrow for former students and teachers to visit the school one more time.
Mrs Creece’s memories of past decades at Rosewall have flooding back since she began retrieving old school photos and displays for the big occasion.
“I’m looking forward to finding out what people did with their lives,” she says.
“It’s nice to know you played a small part.
“Rosewall kids have given me more than what I have given them.”