Newcastle East Primary School is commemorating a major milestone this weekend… 200 years of education – making it Australia’s oldest school.
Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard was today on hand, to help launch a new book memorialising the school’s lengthy history.
The book was put together with the help of students and teachers, both past and present.
“We’ve called it a people’s history of the school so it’s a history of our 200 years, that’s told through the eyes of our students, our children over that time. So for each period of the school’s history there’s a student that typifies that period and we’ve told her story”, says school principal John Beach.
The school first opened in 1816 on a slab hut near Watt & Bolton Streets to cater for children of free settlers and convicts, before relocating to its current location on Tyrell Street.
Bicentenary celebrations will continue over the weekend.
please check on the oldest school stats,i believe Largs Public school to be the oldest still on the same spot,Newcastle East moved