MORE than 200 Ballarat Girls School alumni gathered at their former Barkly Street campus for the final time on Saturday, before the school closes for the final time at the end of the year.
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The Girls School took pride of place at the campus from 1918 until 1977, at what is now Ballarat Secondary College’s senior campus. The school amalgamated with a number of other secondary schools around the Ballarat region.
Former students from as far back as the class of 1939 were in attendance to remember the school’s 59 year history.
Organiser Tracie Kors was a member of the class of 1976, and said the 2016 reunion was the biggest yet, due to the school’s ominous closure.
“I think it meant a lot more to them knowing that the school was going to close, and not knowing what is going to happen to it.”
Born in 1924, Enid Gray was the oldest alumni present, finishing her time at the school in 1939. Joan Dellaca was two years behind her, finishing in 1941.
“We were taught cookery, laundry and house-wifery,” Ms Dellaca said. “That was training for when we got married and had a family.”
“Our head mistress always said to us we were ladies, and we had to act like ladies,” Ms Gray said. “We weren’t to eat in the street, and I still don’t eat in the street.”
Both said the school had changed dramatically since their time on the campus, with almost none of the original infrastructure still in place.
Attending the Girls School in the 1960’s, Lee Smith and Jahnke also reflected fondly on their time at the Barkly Street campus.
“We were known as the B Gang,” Ms Smith said. “We had Bedgood, Billney, Butler, Beattie, Brittnall, Bonoit.
“The worst day at our school was the day they let boys in.”
They too were sad at the prospect of the school closing down, with the final class of year 12 students to finish at the end of 2016.
“They should keep the building in the education system,” Ms Jahnke said.
At the end of the year the school will be disbanded, with both the Wendouree and Ballarat East campuses of Ballarat Secondary College taking year 11 and 12 students as of 2017.
It comes after the state government pledged $3 million each for the Wendouree and Ballarat East campuses during the 2014 election to allow year 7-12 education.