FOR generations of local families, Hunter River High School has been a place of learning, friendship and memories.
On Friday 13 November, former students, staff and the wider community are invited back to celebrate the school’s 70th anniversary.
The-then Raymond Terrace High School opened on 31 January, 1956 with 223 students and 16 staff, led by headmaster Alfred Harold Hodge. Today, it has 810 students.
While much has changed throughout seven decades, the anniversary will give visitors a chance to find familiar faces, share stories and see how the school has grown.
Principal Sue Xenos said the occasion was an opportunity to bring the school community together.
“An anniversary is a special occasion for both current and former staff and students to come together, reminisce, and reflect on their school experiences at Hunter River High or Raymond Terrace High, depending on when they attended,” Ms Xenos said.
Celebrations begin with an assembly in the school hall at 12.50pm, featuring speeches from the current principal, a former principal and a former student, alongside a performance and a slideshow of photographs.
Guests will then gather for refreshments in the Multi-Purpose Centre, where photographs, memorabilia and current students’ work will be displayed.
A brief school tour will include the school’s upgrade, with the afternoon expected to finish around 2.30pm.
The school became Hunter River High School in 2005, a name chosen to reflect the broader community it served.
“We needed a name which says that this school is here for those people who live in Raymond Terrace, but also those who live in the outer communities we serve,” then-principal Chris Charters said at the time.
Today’s facilities include a soundproof recording studio, commercial kitchen, two metal and engineering workshops, an agricultural farm and a dedicated Year 12 learning area.
For Ms Xenos, the celebration also recognises the school’s continuing place in public education.
“Preserving our history is vital,” she said.
Guests are asked to RSVP through hunterriverhigh70years.floktu.com
By Althea GUINSBERG
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