MELBOURNE - Brunswick South Primary School celebrated its 140th anniversary on Thursday, 8 October, looking back on a history that began on 1 May 1886, when it first opened its gates as South Brunswick Primary School.
“One hundred and forty years may seem like a very long time to us, but in the long history of this country, it’s just a drop in the ocean,” principal Kristie Satilmis said, welcoming students, families and former pupils in Italian.
The hall was filled with children’s drawings, with the Australian, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Italian flags hanging on the walls. Across the windows were the words “Everyone belongs”, a message that captured the spirit of the celebration.
For the occasion, the principal, teachers and students dressed in period costumes, bringing a touch of the school’s past to life.
Since 2012, Brunswick South has offered a bilingual program, with half of its lessons taught in English and half in Italian. Its motto, Imparare insieme, Creare insieme, Vivere insieme – Learning Together, Creating Together, Living Together – reflects the values at the heart of the school community.
Among those attending the ceremony were Thomas Camporeale, CEO of Co.As.It. Melbourne; Michela Pellizon, Manager of Education, Language and Italian Funding Liaison; and Matt Absalom, senior Italian lecturer at the University of Melbourne.
Sara Burdak, who has taught at the school since 2009, took guests on a journey through its history, recalling that the second building, known as the Little School, was built in 1914 to accommodate 400 children.
Each classroom had its own fireplace, and it was the teachers’ responsibility to light the fires every morning.
At one point, parents even wrote to the Education Department asking for firewood to be supplied, as their children were struggling with the cold.
The area where the anniversary ceremony took place once housed a brick toilet block. When it was demolished, the students all came outside carrying stools and their art books to watch the work, holding their noses as they looked on.
During the ceremony, a parent encouraged the children to remember every detail of the day – “what you’re wearing, how you’re feeling, who your friends are” – before sharing memories of his own family.
He spoke of his father, who arrived in Australia as a refugee, and his grandfather, who lived in Carlton and used to go to Princes Park to watch the Blues play.
“Schools belong to those who came before us, those who are here now and those who are yet to come,” he said, recalling a time when the historic school building accommodated 900 students.
Former performing arts and Italian teacher Lucy Curatolo also shared memories of school life. Describing herself as retired “but not really – I’m just pretending”, she exchanged a few jokes with her former colleague Mary Gladza, drawing laughter from the audience.
Nancy Cozzo and Phil Clarke treated students and guests to a reading of Mulga Bill’s Bicycle, the much-loved humorous ballad by Australian poet Banjo Paterson.
The school choir also performed in Italian, bringing smiles to the audience and encouraging everyone to sing along.
In her closing remarks, Satilmis reflected on what has remained unchanged throughout the school’s history: a belief in every child’s potential and a commitment to helping each student find their place in the world.
That legacy lives on in the memories of former students, the dedication of teachers and staff, and the families and children who are part of the school today.
For Satilmis, it was a privilege to stand alongside people “whose lives have been shaped by this school”.
“Today, all our stories come together,” she said, encouraging the school community to remember the past, celebrate the present and look to the future with confidence, gratitude and excitement.
Brunswick South’s 140-year history, she concluded, is a reminder of “what can be built when a community believes in its children”.
