March 6, 2018

A funeral service will be held on Friday for well-known Kingaroy businessman and developer Allan Swendson, 73, who died on February 28.

The service will be held in Virgo’s Funeral Home Chapel, adjacent to the Taabinga Cemetery, from 1:00pm.

Retired businessman John Learmont recalled the huge amount of work Allan and his wife, former Kingaroy librarian Helen, did in the lead-up to the 50th anniversary celebrations of the opening of the new Kingaroy State High School.

In 1998, an old school friend gave Allan a copy of a photograph of the new high school’s first students, taken in 1958.

Allan began the task of tracking down the names of the 192 people in that photo … 175 students and 17 staff members.

The task literally took years …

The last name was found only days before the 50th anniversary of the official opening of the new high school was held in 2009.

Footnote: The centenary of the founding of the Kingaroy State High School will be held on September 8 this year.

A group photograph of the first teachers and students at the new Kingaroy State High School in 1958 (click on the image for a larger version and a key to the names)

 

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