January 31, 2014
Excitement is growing in Kumbia ahead of the huge celebration planned to mark the centenary of Kumbia State School.
The school opened its doors on February 2, 1914, so the birthday is actually this Sunday.
However the REAL party will be held on Saturday, March 1, when a big day of celebrations is planned at the school followed by a dinner dance at Kumbia Memorial Hall.
Kumbia State School opened in 1914, with just 21 students.
These days, there’s almost 90 students with many having family links back to those first-day pupils.
The first move to establish a school in Kumbia was made by the Kumbia Progress Association in 1912 when secretary B.S. Prothero wrote to the Education Department.
Things moved quickly in those days. Approval was granted in April 1913, tenders were accepted on July 24, and by November 8, the building was complete at a cost of £294.
Those first day enrolments in 1914 contained a lot of familiar surnames: Agnes Betts; Bernard and Stanley Buchholz; Edwin Dascombe; Arthur and Elsie Francis; George, Ida and Lucy Hancock; Amy, Rose and Oscar Horton; Reginald Humphrys; Hazel and Ivy Kefford; Alice, Ethel and Jessie Martin; Leslie and Stanley Prothero and Hermann Schwenke.
Soon they were joined by Adams, Barkle, Black, Cross, Couchman, Coulson, Dugdell, Fleischfresser, Hams, Hayden, Labudda, Rubesaame, Truss, Winter etc etc … all common local names today.
No wonder the organisers of the Centenary Day expect more than a thousand people back through the doors!
They will be gathering under the school’s iconic fig trees which also date back to that first year of 1914.
Kumbia State School’s most famous graduate is probably Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss who attended the school for eight years.
Mr Truss will also be coming back to the school for the celebrations and will be unveiling the Centenary plaque.
Another special guest will be Myrtle Collier, 99, who is believed to be the oldest surviving ex-student. Myrtle enrolled at Kumbia State School in 1921.
Two local families who will be proudly taking part are the Francis and Unverzagts. There have been members of the Francis family at the school since Day 1; while the Unverzagts are “newcomers”, dating back to 1918 when Robin Unverzagt’s mother Ruth Mackenzie enrolled.
For more information about the day of celebrations see the Centenary website or Facebook page
Footnote: The time capsule which was laid on the school’s 75th anniversary will be opened on Monday morning (February 3). Anyone that is interested has been invited to view the items at a morning tea at the school at 11:00am. The next time these items will be available to view will be at the Centenary Day.
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Centenary Celebration Program
- 9:00am – School Bell (Registration begins)
- 10:00am – Softball game
- 10:30am – Group photos begin
- 1:30pm – School Bell (Assembly parade for official ceremony)
- 3:00pm – School Bell (Conclusion of daytime events)
All Day
- Games from through the ages
- Historical displays in classrooms
- Food and market stalls
- Memorabilia
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The casual dress After Party Dinner will be held at Kumbia Memorial Hall from 5:30pm.
Former students and their guests will enjoy dinner and dance the night away to music by Ben Spargo, Tom Curtain and Sarah Parsons.
Bookings are essential and must be made by February 20.
Tickets can be bought at Pharmacy Essentials in Kingaroy Street, Kingaroy, or on the Centenary website: Adults and high school students $25; primary school-aged children $10, and pre-schoolers free.
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[Historical information sourced from the Kumbia State School 75th Anniversary booklet]
