IF YOU go to one school fete this year make sure it’s the one at Rosewood State School.
This school’s event promises a neat experience where adults can show their children what education was like in the 1970s and 1980s.
The fete celebrates 150 years of primary education at Rosewood State School and there are many generations of families in the area who were educated there.
To bring back the past convincingly, the school hired the Queensland Colonial Association to role-play what school life was like many decades in the past.
Nicole Davis is the P&C Vice President and a member of the team tasked with making sure the event celebrates everything the school is and has been.
“The Queensland Colonial Association will interact with fete goers by making sure they’re dressed ‘school appropriate’, like it was in the old days,” Nicole said.
“There will be memorabilia on display in the library but to enter you need to line up and have your nails, shoes and laces checked.
“Half of the library will be set up with modern ways of teaching and the other half will be turned into an old classroom where there’s items like slates and boards.
“The colonial group will be ‘teaching classes’ in that old style as well.”
The grassy areas in the school grounds will turn into a space where games like hopscotch, elastic band skipping and Red Rover are played.
The events all pay homage to a time when there was no internet, no mobile phones and certainly no social media.
Fetes were popular back then because it was a chance for families to socialise and have fun while raising money.
“The school is a big part of the community and multiple generations have been educated there over the past 150 years,” she said.
“The history aspect is important because this isn’t just a celebration for the school, it is a celebration for the community.”
Another exciting part is seeing what was in a time capsule buried on school grounds 50 years ago.
“We have opened our time capsule and even with the plastic cylinder being in water, its contents were undamaged,” Nicole said.
“We are also part of the Ipswich Galvanized Festival and have a 130 page history book and limited edition memorabilia on sale.”
There will be more than 60 market stalls and food trucks, entertainment and displays by service organisations.
Rosewood CWA is catering the official morning tea.
Then spuds, schnitzels, German sausages and twisted potatoes are some of the food able to be purchased.
An outdoor stage will be used by dancers and a Taekwondo group. There’s also a petting zoo and a trackless train that offers legs a rest.
There are three rides and while those aren’t free, there’s plenty on to keep the kids entertained without spending too much money.
Rosewood State School’s 150th anniversary celebrations will be held on Saturday September 13.
The event’s official opening is set for 10.30am.
