Sometimes described as a country school in the middle of the city, Brooklyn’s Annunciation Catholic Primary School this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The quaint school with three classrooms has 63 pupils but aims to have as many as 80 by 2017.
Principal Barry Ennis said the school opened in 1965 to cater for children from a nearby migrant hostel and because the other parish school, Corpus Christi in Kingsville, was too big.
“Generally speaking, our classes are in the low 20s,” he said.
“That’s the beauty of a small school – they get lots of good individual attention.
“I think what’s special is the relationships. It’s a lovely learning situation for the children. We’ve got 63 of them at the moment – they all know each other really well.”
The class of 1975 recently held its 40th anniversary reunion, with former student Teresa Mobilio saying it had been the realisation of a 12-year dream.
She and her friend from the same class, Dianne Coldrey, managed to track down their former classmates by Facebook, door-knocking and word of mouth.
“We all connected like we had been friends for 40 years,” Ms Mobilio said.
Teacher Dorothea Johnson, who was one of the school’s first students, said that when the school opened there were no houses on Millers Road and Altona Gate shopping centre was a quarry.
“It’s lovely to come back,” Ms Johnson said. “I feel like I’m always home. A lot of people have asked me, ‘Why are you still there?’ It’s because I really enjoy the children and the families.
“I truly understand the families because I lived here and I understand the importance of helping people, opening your arms up.
“They give of their own time and I would always do that. And I want the children to recognise that other members of the community are very important.”
