Students Red Hill Public School took a short trip into the near past on Wednesday when they uncovered the school's hidden time capsule.
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Disclosed in the old bell tower, students from the school's first year of foundation in 1970 covered over their time capsule with the instructions to only open it in 50 years time.
Current school librarian, Donna Post, was among the students who first buried the original time capsule.
To mark the school's semi-centennial celebrations year 6 leaders hosted a virtual ceremony to finally open it.
What they found surprised them a little bit.
"I expected there would be more in it than just books," said 12-year-old Noah Glasheen.
"I thought there'd be more things like workbooks and papers with their handwriting," agreed 11-year-old Jaycee Gladman.
One of the items included in the old-time capsule was a copy of The Daily Advertiser dated September 28, 1971.
With a cover price of just seven cents, the students were alarmed to see that "everything was cheaper back then", as 12-year-old Malachi Giandomenico said.
The students were surprised to see the similarities to their own lives now, half a century later, but one particular point of difference did have them perplexed.
Students back in the 1970s, they found out, lived in constant threat of the cane, which was not formally abolished from NSW until 1987.
"You'd be frightened of the teachers, it'd be less fun at school," said Jaycee.
"It would have been a much more strict and serious time," agreed 12-year-old Ebony Peck.
All the students agreed that the original makers of the time capsule would not have ever imagined that in 50 years time it would be opened in the throws of a pandemic.
So, the school has decided to replace the capsule with one of their own, highlighting life during the 2020 COVID-19 crisis.
"We put in old badges, hand sanitizer and a booklet with questions that everyone took home to answer with a picture of everyone," said Noah.
"People in the future can open it and learn about what it was like when the international pandemic happened while we were at school."
The newly finished time capsule will be put on display in the school's library along with original capsule before the new one is placed back into the bell tower to be opened in 25 years.