It’s not every day you get to take a walk down memory lane but Marjorie Bunyan from Springwood had that chance when she turned up to mark the 140th birthday of her old school.
Springwood Public School celebrated its significant milestone on Saturday May 26, and while the building is in a different location these days, Ms Bunyan loved the chance to look at historical photos and remember an earlier time.
“It was lovely to see people enthusiastic [about the school’s history],” she told the Gazette.
The former student went along to the day after recognising herself from a promotional flyer for the event which showed one of the school’s classes from the 1940s.
Ms Bunyan pointed out herself in her pigtails “fifth from the right” and said the school was originally in the IGA carpark but outgrew the space by 1952.
Springwood Public School started in 1878 with 49 children.
Lorel Colgin, vice president of the school’s Parents and Citizens Association, said the school was the second oldest government school in the Mountains after Mt Victoria Public.
“The school historian, Margaret Wensley, has done a fantastic job of keeping photographs and records, and she was the main driver behind this year’s 140th birthday celebration.”
Ms Colgin said 19 parents initially pledged support for the school when the Springwood community applied to the government for a school in 1876.
“When it was built in 1878, the only other government schools nearby were Penrith and Mount Victoria.
“The development of a school at Springwood was largely the result of the railway extension into the Blue Mountains in the mid-1860s. Springwood had but a few farmers, and further settlement required an easier and quicker means of transport, which the railway provided,” she said.
“In the 1870s Springwood was a railway town, mainly comprised of families with railway connections in some way.”
Most children did not attend any school until Springwood Public was built, she added, and the application stated there were 49 children (29 boys and 20 girls) within 3.2kms of the proposed site, next to Springwood Railway station.
Charles Schowe was appointed teacher and classes began on Monday June 10 in 1878. By the end of the year, Mr Schowe had 54 students enrolled.
Ms Bunyan said: “The school was right in the heart of Springwood, opposite the newsagent, where the IGA carpark is. I remember my teacher Mrs Scanlon,” she said.
Ms Bunyan said her mother, uncle and many cousins had all been students at the school and she still regularly sees many past students around Springwood, where she has remained all her life.
Today Springwood Public School has 35 teachers and support staff and educates 470 students.
Principal Mehmet Mehmet paid tribute to the archival work of the school’s historian.
“Margaret has been a treasure herself to Springwood Public School for almost 40 years and she will be a great loss to the school, will be hard to replace as our historian!” said