St Joseph’s Maroubra Kindergarten Class of 1971’s childhood recollections will have you fondly recollecting your days in the old schoolyard.

Sixty Kindergarten Kangaroos and Kindergarten Koalas attended St Joseph’s Maroubra way back when, and nearly 20 came together on 6 February 2021 to celebrate 50 years since they first started school together.

Some stayed for nine hours reminiscing and storytelling, and are now planning to have annual catch ups.

Reunion organiser Monica Scanlon (nee Smith), a former teacher at St Mary’s Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School Hurstville, looks back on the reunion and reflects on her days in the old school yard.

As the students took a walk around the perimeter of the school, they recalled lunch times spent playing marbles, fly (jumping over sticks lined up in the playground), elastics (jumping over elastic which was held up by a student at either end), skipping with a big skipping rope or kicking the football.   

It was amazing to hear Vicki McLachlan, one of the Year 4 teachers who attended the reunion, be able to look at faces and remember the names and stories of students she taught 45 years ago.  

Great laughs were had at the old Globite brown school briefcase that was brought along. Although somewhat worn and unable to fully lock, it created much discussion as it was complete with stickers of the day. 

Only a few students still had this treasure from their early school years.

SCHOOL LIFE IN 1971 

Fifty years ago, school was very different to today.

Each morning milk was delivered to the school in small glass bottles with foil lids for the students to drink.

There were lots of comments made (at the reunion) about the milk being hot, as …