12/04/2026
April 12th 2026
Dear friends and Old Scholars,
It is with a heavy heart that I am recommending that the Rose Park Primary School Old Scholars Association be wound up. To this end, you will have seen the notice calling for a Special General Meeting to be held at the School at 2 pm on Sunday May 3rd.
The Old Scholars have a long history – most of it informal. In the late 1940’s, a group of past scholars began to meet annually in the Botanic Gardens, with much loved teacher Miss Nation. This group continued to meet over the years, with Old Scholars such as Judy Barnes acting to co-ordinate get-togethers. As the School’s centenary approached (1993), people became more interested, and (under the encouraging eye of then Principal Trevor Boreham) a committee was formed to prepare a history commemorating the School. The Centenary celebrations were certainly a high point for Old Scholars, as photographs of the book launch, school fete, and Old Scholars dinner show. Following the centenary, an ad hoc committee of old scholars and interested parents was formed to organise the School’s archives. Eventually, in 2008 this led to the drawing up of a constitution, and the formal acceptance of the Old Scholars Association. The aims of the Association were to support the involvement of the school community in the school, to develop and maintain an interest in the welfare of the children at the School, and to support the Principal and the school staff to enhance student learning.
As an affiliated school committee, a representative of the Association attended meetings of the School’s Governing Council, and it had a line in the School’s budget!. This ceased last year, when school governance was changed and the size of the Governing Council was decreased. By then, the Old Scholars Association no longer had a formal committee, with the two general meetings held each year being organised by members of the archiving group.
The school’s 125th anniversary led to a small bounce in interest, with a well-attended birthday lunch. However, the world has changed. Most of the Old Scholars of the 1920’s and 1930’s, for whom primary school was a more important part of their lives than is the case now, have departed this world, as have many of those from the 1940’s. After World War II, there was a rapid increase in the importance of further education and universities, with less emphasis on the early years of schooling. Society became more affluent and more mobile. Increasingly, women took on work outside the home. Today, there are many more clubs and societies for people to join than there were in, e.g., the 1950’s. Television, and now social media, have changed the way we live.
I think that this means that, in general, support of one’s primary school is now seen as being a lower priority than it was in the past. Younger old scholars may see an Old Scholars Association which relies on email and an occasional Facebook post for communication as too old-fashioned to be bothered with. Whatever the reason, support for Rose Park’s OS Association has ‘died’. While there remains a small group of loyal followers, none of its members has the energy these days to take on the necessary organisation and promotion – and neither do I. As I said, I am very sad about this – but realistic.
While I am proposing the end of the formal group, interested Old Scholars may well revert to the informal meetings of the 1940’s and 50’s – getting together for occasional catch-ups.
I hope to see as many of you as possible at the Special General Meeting, time for a last cuppa together and chat about the old times.
With very best wishes,
Kerrie Davies.
