Generations of Fig Tree Pocket State School (FTPSS) alumni will come together to celebrate a major milestone in September 2021, the school’s 150th founding anniversary, and preparations have started for this special event.
On Facebook, parents of the current students have set up the group Fig Tree Pocket State School 150 Birthday Celebrations in anticipation of this momentous occasion whilst they mobilize online efforts in planning activities and disseminating updates for students old and new, parents, educators and the wider community.
The group is also collecting photos, videos, stories and anecdotes of their best memories at the FTPSS for a special 150th Birthday Book.
“My earliest memory at FTP was from Year 1,” Vanessa Rualini shared to the group, who said she’s still best friends with her school mate, Sonja Gustafson.
“I had a baby brother who I desperately wanted to come to our classroom so he could see our pet mice. As he wasn’t allowed to, one afternoon I carefully put one of the mice into my lunchbox (with some grass) and took it home. You can imagine the strife I got into. The poor mouse survived thank god.
“I was lucky enough to have three years with Mrs Cox. I loved our walks to see the Tawny Frogmouth Owls. I loved our story writing lessons, and even won some awards under Mrs Cox’s guidance. She was amazing, my favourite teacher.
And I loved the swamp. I loved making pathways through the middle with planks of wood as mentioned by Tara Sanderson.”
A commemorative T-shirt design was already announced after student Tiah won the design contest, giving the best interpretation of the school’s motto, “Learning for a better world.” Tiah’s design had the school colors blue and white and the symbolic emblem of the Fig Tree.
Photo Credit: Julie Jelley for the Fig Tree Pocket State School 150th Birthday Celebrations Group Page / Facebook
Where is Fig Tree Pocket State School?
Nestled on five hectares of this lush expanse in the western suburbs of Brisbane, this institution has come a long way since September 1871 when it was established as a government primary school that provides quality education to children from Prep to Year 6 in Fig Tree Pocket, in the Queensland, Brisbane City Central & Northern Suburbs region.
From the colonial curriculum of teaching basic reading, writing, and arithmetic until 1905 when major changes were made to the syllabus — the focus shifted to the child (rather than the teacher) as the centre of the learning process.
To date, Fig Tree Pocket State School is a very highly rated primary school that has a minimum capacity of 500 students with a student-to-teacher ratio of 1 to 13.
Meanwhile, due to the impact of the coronavirus crisis, details to the event are yet to be finalised as activities will be made in compliance with the necessary health protocols.
The alumni and those who served in FTPSS can send in their stories to the school’s email ftpsspandc@gmail.com or connect through the Facebook group.