Bunbury school celebrates 100 years

Bunbury Senior High School is gearing up to celebrate its 100th anniversary in March with a weekend of exciting events.

On March 2 and 3, the school will host public open days for the community to participate in activities and learn about the school’s history.

Principal Craige Pettit said the events would include live music, a book launch, a journey through the decades as well as a school tour.

“It’s all a bit about what was happening socially at each decade of the school’s life but also engaging in memorabilia of the school,” he said.

Each of the learning areas will showcase a decade to feature the history of the community and school at the time.

“My administration group has the 80s so we’ll have the funky music and movies,” Mr Pettit said.

“I’ll be donning a pink shirt and a mullet.”

A book about the school will be written by local author Graham Houghton to help celebrate.

“I’ve been at the school for 11 years so I know a bit of the history myself but looking through the book Graham has written has taught me a lot,” Mr Pettit said.

“One of the important things to note is the number of prominent people who played a big role in creating an identity for the school and town.”

Previous students at the prestigious school have included significant public figures like former Governor John Sanderson, former Bunbury MLA and Bunbury Mayor John Castrilli and politician and lawyer Melissa Park.

“Our students are a big part of the history of the school,” Mr Pettit said.

“We’ve had people who served in the wars – fighter pilots, soldiers and some were even in prisoner-of-war camps.”

Mr Pettit said original documents dating back to 1918 made fascinating reading.

“We still have all the enrolment cards of generations past. You may find a family member or some sort of link,” he said.