Shaded by the towering Moreton Bay fig trees, former Tamborine Mountain State School students smiled as they pointed to the twisted roots beneath them.
“That was our playground,” one recalled.
“We called it houses or kings and queens, each root was a room.”
On Wednesday, 19 November, Tamborine Mountain State School marked its 125th anniversary with a program of reflection, storytelling and nostalgia.
Students explored a recreated classroom from the past, complete with slate boards, ink wells and wooden desks borrowed from the Tamborine Mountain Historical Village.
A photocopy of the original punishment book was on display, with its final recorded entry, a caning, dated 1990.
Outside, students played old-fashioned games like marbles, hopscotch and pick-up sticks.
Principal Jason Smith reminded guests of the school’s modest beginnings.
“On the first day of school on the 19th of February 1900, seven children were enrolled and they were all from the Geissmann and the Curtis families,” he said.
“We are very proud of our heritage, and we continue to embrace innovation, inclusion and personalised learning.”
The Geissmann name is still present at the school today with year two student June Geissmann becoming the fifth generation of the family to attend the school.
Former student Howard Edmunds, who began school in 1964, captivated the crowd with memories of ponies parked where the car park now sits, and cricket games played around piles of horse manure.
“When it came my turn to go into bat, I would always try and hit the ball into the freshest pile of horse manure because no other kids would go and pick the ball out, that way you could make lots of runs,” he said.
Mr Edmunds reminded students to “dream big” and take on challenges in the world.
“ It’s a great big world out there, get out and go it,” he said.
“If you do, you’re going to have a wonderful life.”
The day finished with the premiere of Shining Years, an original song written by teachers Meredith Plant and Tegan Evans.
Its chorus, reflecting the mountain, the children, and the spirit of growth, captured the heart of what 125 years of learning has meant to the community.
