PAST and present teachers, students and parents associated with Newbery Park Primary School will converge on the Bridges Street premises this weekend for its 50-year celebrations.
Some of the people returning for the celebrations include past teachers and principals Sue Williams, Derek Jones, Lesslie and Grant Venus, Chris Prance, Lloyd Nelson, Peter Manders, Jenny Reid, John Penberthy and Helen Hutchesson.
Former students are also expected from interstate to be at the celebrations.
Newbery Park (which was known as Millicent South Primary School until 2002) was opened in 1967 after it was recognised the old Millicent Primary School was filled to capacity.
This was due to a flourishing population in the town associated with new employment opportunities at sites like Apcel (now the Kimberly-Clark Australia Millicent Mill).
A committee of parents, past and current employees and others has recently been busy planning events to mark 50 years of education at Newbery Park.
On Friday, current students and other interested people will walk from the old Millicent primary school on Mount Gambier Road to Newbery Park.
The walk will recognise the initial transfer of many students from the old Millicent primary school (now the home of the South East Family History Group next to the Millicent Museum) which occurred when the new school opened in 1967.
The students will first walk from Newbery Park to the old primary school to meet at the Millicent Visitor Centre car park at 11.30am.
Local historian Colleen Hammat will then take them and other interested people to the old primary school building and give a talk on the history of that building and other schools in the district.
She will give the children an idea of a classroom of the past.
Afterwards the children will walk back from the old school to Newbery Park where there will be events to mark the occasion, including a special assembly, radio broadcast and cake cutting ceremony.
On Saturday, the school will be open from 9.30am with displays, including in the new gym hall.
There will be games and entertainment in a fete atmosphere including stalls and food vans provided by local service clubs and others.
Some of the many ceremonies which will take place on the day include the laying of a time capsule and a special memorial tree for people to hang name tags of past students, teachers or others who have passed away.
A formal reunion dinner will be held on Saturday night at the Millicent and District Community Club.
Tickets are still available from the club.
A souvenir booklet to mark the occasion has also been compiled.
Printed by Millicent Print, it will be on sale for $12 during the weekend.
For $25, people can purchase a brick, which will be engraved with family names, to be laid at the school.
This will ensure that families associated with the school over the past 50 years will have their names recorded and displayed.
Everyone associated in any way with the school past or present is encouraged to attend and participate in the celebrations.
