By Alistair Gray
There is a buzz of excitement at Bribie Island State School as the school family prepares to celebrate 100 years of learning and education since its opening in 1924. That was long before the Bribie bridge and conditions were harsh. Students travelled long distances to school, often walking; there were few cars then with some even coming to school by boat. It is a lot different than the conditions of today, where the school has 450 students, 50 staff, 25 classrooms, two large ovals, four playgrounds, a tennis court and basketball courts. I sat down with school principal Leah Mullane to find out what is planned for the celebrations and learn a little about the history.
Centenary Celebrations
Saturday August 24, 2024
10 am – 3 pm
31 - 63 First Avenue, Bongaree
It will be a big day full of fun, many activities and opportunities for past students and teachers to reconnect. Here is your chance to visit and learn about this great school.
“We have a range of activities happening on the stage, including performances by the school strings and the school band. The Gavel Club students, a public speaking group, will be making speeches on the stage, along with a family band of past students. A big raffle with more than 80 prizes from gift vouchers, accommodation at local places and a play station, with the raffle being drawn on the day. There will be a wide range of stalls, including centenary merchandise for sale, heaps of kids' activities, including face painting and making headbands and a big area with big letters for people to come and take photos. An area for sharing stories will be available for past students and staff to share their experiences of the school over the microphone. We also have food trucks coming and amusements, including a pirate ship, a rock wall, teacups, different rides and a petting zoo. The bar will open from 12noon to 3pm. We will also have a range of displays, including old photos and records, a classroom set up by the Caboolture Historical Society, displays of current students' work and open classrooms for visitors. So, a lot of things planned for the day,” Leah Mullane said.
Memorial wall and time capsule
The school is also creating a memorial wall to celebrate the centenary and to commemorate past and present students, teachers and staff as a fundraiser. You can buy a personalized brick for $40 and have your name put on the wall forever. Also, anyone who has had a close association with the school (e.g. parents) is welcome to buy a brick. The school will bury a time capsule at the base of the wall with individual classes adding class photos, pictures, drawings and other appropriate items.
For information and details on how to buy a brick, please visit
(Insert QR Code)
The school ethos
I asked school principal Leah Mullane if she had a special message she would like to get out about the school.
"Everyone is welcome here and we want to ensure that we provide high-quality education to all students. We have a diverse range of young people here at the school. What we have at this school is a very caring and compassionate team of people who care about making sure that all these kids have a great education. And so we look after them, socially and emotionally, but what's key is that we're ensuring they're getting a great education. A lot of the great work we've been doing in curriculum over the past few years has resulted in our school having strong academic results compared to other schools like ours. We stand out. Our results are really good,” she said.
Fabulous community support
Leah Mullane and her team of teachers and support staff are very grateful for all the community support received over the years.
"We have a very hard-working P&C for the size of the school,” she said. “They put in a lot of hours doing things for school. They are very passionate because they want to provide the best opportunities for our students. They donated a range of marquees for the sports day and put in a lot of money to get this centenary up. They work hard to ensure we've got what we need to provide for the kids.”
The early days of the school
The following are some edited extracts from a letter written by the Foundation Head Teacher – Mr L.P. Diplock C.M.G., published in the school's 75th Anniversary booklet.
"On 4 February 1924, I opened the Bribie Island Provisional School, so called because it was conducted in a hall that served as a schoolroom from Monday to Friday, a dance hall on Saturday and a place of worship on Sunday. A school building was erected in 1925 and the Bribie State School was established.
The pupil enrolment was 26 and the pupils' ages ranged from five to approaching the leaving age. Very few of them had attended school previously. Some came from a distance up the passage and others were ferried across from Toorbul Point. None were born with ‘silver spoons in their mouths’ – their fathers, in the main, were engaged in fishing, oystering, labouring and farming; their wives were employed as partners in making ends meet and the children reflected the characteristics of men and women so engaged – tough as leather; straight from the shoulder; honest and dependable.
"The number of pupils was so small; boys and girls had to play the same sport and the 13-year-old boys and girls had to cater to the younger ones in school games. There were no cliques; all acted as a team member with me as the leader and this applied to the small jobs to improve the school grounds and the games. The team spirit prevailed throughout our community when any school project was planned and consequently, we soon had cause to be very proud of our school, which was often admired by visitors to the Island.”
Comments