'Oldest they could find': Student from 1936 celebrates 155 years of Raglan

One hundred fifty-five years on, the school is still going strong and now has around 100 students, dozens of staff members, and several classrooms for kindergarten to Year 6 students.

To mark 155 years since the school opened, a celebration was held on Friday, March 14, at the Raglan Community Hall.

There, students, staff, and members of the school community were regaled with stories of the school's history.

Former teacher, Mrs Elizabeth Smith, made an address on the day.

Mrs Smith started in July 1977 after gaining teaching experience in other schools around the region.

"The Raglan School's numbers were dropping, the present teacher was moving, and the school was in danger of closing," she said.

As a result, she was offered the position as the one and only teacher of 15 children from kindergarten to Year 6.

"So, I left the comfort of a staffed school and accepted the challenge," Mrs Smith said.

The challenge included teaching in one building, with pit toilets and the semblance of a wet weather shed, where the school cleaner was Mrs Smith's only adult visitor.

Another challenge that was presented was when the school tried to perform a choir, but unfortunately, Raglan didn't have an official uniform.

So, the parents of the school community came together and designed and sewed dresses for the girls and ties for the boys.

Then, it was time for a badge. The school ran a design competition, ultimately combining elements from six entries to make what is now the Raglan School badge.

By this time, zoning had been introduced, which meant that children who lived in Raglanw would go to Raglan School.

Thus, the school's population increased exponentially, and in 1989, the old, one-room school closed its doors to make way for the new building, which officially opened on April 26, 1989.

After decades teaching at the school, and witnessing several changes, Mrs Smith officially retired from her teaching position.

One student, however, who was well before Mrs Smith's time, was Arthur Long.

Mr Long is officially the oldest living alumnus of Raglan Public School, at age 94.

"Well, the oldest they could find anyway," he joked.

Mr Long started at Raglan in 1936 or 1937, where he was one of only a few students who were taught in the old school building.

Despite the varying ages, from kindergarten to Year 6, Mr Long said that all the students got along, and his time at Raglan was one that he looked back on with great fondness.

"We were all friends and knocked around, and we played up at times, I suppose," he said.

"But it was a good time, I enjoyed it, and I suppose it done me some good; it gave me an education."

Some other fond memories of his time at the school were those that involved the Raglan community as a whole.

Mr Long was raised by his father after his mum died when he was seven years old.

Because of this, the community rallied to support him and his dad.

"All the old ladies in Raglan; Mrs Miller would give me biscuits every afternoon when I came out of school," he said.

"They were good to me. I learnt good manners here, which done me a world of good with the old ladies as well."

Now, the most startling thing that Mr Long has seen since his time at Raglan Public, is just how much the village has grown.

"I lived here a lot of me life, and I've watched it grow. When I was a kid, there was only 15 houses here, at most," he said.

"It's amazing. I often think to meself, god, if Dad came back now and could see the house, he'd be amazed."