A Riverina primary school celebrated its centenary on Monday with a grand reenactment of its discovery.
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St Mary's Primary School in Batlow officially marked its 100th birthday, with former and current students and staff paying homage to those who made the school what it is today.
It was a milestone current principal Jannine Richards relished in as she approaches her retirement at the end of the year after five years in the role, eight as a staff member at the school.
"I knew we needed to acknowledge the three nuns who started Catholic education here at St Mary's because it had always been recorded but on this day 100 years ago three nuns arrived here on horse and cart and they set up a church on the corner of our playground," Mrs Richards said.
"It was the start of schooling here, so we had three nuns - two Year 4 students and a teacher - ride in on a horse and cart led by a magnificent Clydesdale horse come onto our playground and reenact that and it was breathtaking.
"It made me very proud to be a part of St Mary's."
IN OTHER NEWS:
In 1923, three Sisters of St Joseph (St Mary MacKillop's order) arrived in Batlow to open a school.
The sisters taught in the school and worked in the Parish for 61 years, from 1923 to 1984, before leaving the area.
Mrs Richards said plans for the celebrations had been in the pipeline and they knew from the very beginning they wanted to pay tribute to those sisters.
"We knew we had to mark the day with some extra special events," she said.
"The day was just wonderful."
The centenary was well supported by former principals, staff and students and the general community with many coming together again after years apart.
"People have been reconnecting, we've had people coming from Sydney and Adelaide, Canberra and from around the Riverina. It was lovely," Mrs Richards said.
"There is something really unique about the community spirit in a small school - you get to know every child, you get to know their needs, you get to develop their education over their seven years of primary schooling and that opportunity to nurture that child to become confident and compassionate is a wonderful gift that we as teachers recognise is unique to our role.
"We're honoured to be able to do that."
St Mary's has served generations of families, and faced many challenges, such as the Dunns Road bushfire in 2020.
In 2024, Cootamundra's Sacred Heart Central School assistant principal Ryan Forsyth will officially step into the role of principal at St Mary's Primary School in Batlow.
It won't be the last time the school sees Mrs Richards, as she plans to return in some capacity after a year of travelling.
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