30 October 2024
Students past and present from one of Perth’s oldest primary schools have come together to celebrate a milestone birthday.
Victoria Park Primary School turned 130 this year and to mark the special occasion Year 6 students sat down with alumni to learn about the history of the school.
Victoria Park Primary School held a fete to celebrate its 130th birthday.
Now aged in their 80s and 90s, the former students provided valuable insight and shared how times have changed.
Digital technology teacher Wendy Stace said current students were eager to hear from former students about how school life differed in years gone by.
“Rarely do students get such incredible first-hand insights into how past generations of schoolkids lived and the beauty of the simplicity of life back then, as well as the challenges they faced,” Mrs Stace said.
“What came out of the interviews was some really interesting information, including how kids sheltered in trenches on the oval during air raid drills, and if there was a threat of a bomb attack, they had to put corks in their mouths to protect their teeth from cracking to limit the shock of a blast. Back then they were also given two biscuits which they were not allowed to eat until they left the trenches.
“Some of the old students brought in items they had made while at school, like small woodwork projects and stitchwork that they have kept all these years.
“Our current Year 6s really enjoyed showing the former students around the school, and seeing how excited they were to see their classrooms now, noting how they had changed. Similarly, those revisiting the school asked the kids lots of questions about school these days.”
Principal Travis Miller said the 130th anniversary served as reminder of the rich history of the school.
“Delving into the history of our school has been enlightening for the students, but also for our teachers and staff,” he said.
“Our 130th year has given us an opportunity to look into our storerooms and dust off some really interesting items, including documentation on two different fires at the school, as well as a register of attendees at the school’s 100th year anniversary.
“There are a lot of old trophies and pennants from the school’s sporting successes, and we even found an old ‘punishment book’ from the 1980s which details the punishments doled out – including to one student who brought a can of beer to school.
“Our P&C has been instrumental in organising this event, not just for our school community but also the wider community.”
To celebrate the anniversary, the school held a community fete on October 20 where the interviews with students past and present were played.
The fete, organised by the P&C with support from the Town of Victoria Park, also included a range of stalls, food vans, a foam pit, dunk tank, fire engine rides, mini golf, a bungee trampoline, face painting, craft, a sausage sizzle, licensed bar and live music.