Whittlesea Pre-School is celebrating its 50-year anniversary this Saturday.
Current and past families are invited to take a trip down memory lane, with food and entertainment at the pre-school including a sausage sizzle by Rotary Club of Whittlesea, Country Women’s Association Devonshire tea, face-painting and Andy’s Antics.
To commemorate the milestone, the pre-school will display old photographs of people who went to Whittlesea Pre-School, including when it first opened in 1971.
“We haven’t been able to get one from every single year, but we have got one from the first year and at least every couple of years, so we’ve got a good spread between the 50 years,” Whittlesea Pre-School committee president Tiffany Tournier said.
Ms Tournier said the school expected to see familiar faces from its community at the event.
“I know from drop-off, my own children are there now, you drop them off and you’ve got nana or grandpa or whoever is dropping the grandchild off and they went to the pre-school themselves, or they sent their own children there,” she said.
“The generations definitely come through and a lot of people don’t leave the area as well, so a lot of the locals you see around either went there or know someone that did.”
Ms Tournier said she hoped the event would spark old connections and memories.
“Just like some talking points and conversation starters, you might connect with someone that you haven’t seen for a while,” she said.
“I just love listening to the stories … and hearing the stories and memories that they hold from the pre-school.”
City of Whittlesea has provided a grant that will be used to purchase Indigenous artwork and an Acknowledgment of Country plaque.
The four-year-old kindergarten group also created Indigenous totem poles in partnership with Whittlesea Secondary College for the celebrations.
The celebration will be at Whittlesea Pre-School, at 92 Church Street, from 10am till 2pm, on Saturday.
