Marrang and Cooinda Kindergartens threw open their doors for anniversary celebrations on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Marrang Kindergarten celebrated 20 years of service to the community while Cooinda Kindergarten notched up the 50-year milestone.
Organiser Julie McClure said it was great to see past and present students come together and recognise the contributions from the community.
“Both places are very unique,” she said.
“After 50 years Cooinda remains a popular choice for families, many seeing the older style building as more personal and homelike for their children to attend.”
Cooinda was built in 1967 through the fundraising efforts of the Stawell West Ladies Auxiliary and donations from the Stawell community.
“The vision was to build a kindergarten to service the Stawell West area,” Mrs McClure said.
“There has always been a strong community ownership and attachment to Cooinda.”
Although the Marrang Kindergarten has a much shorter history, visitors on the day reflected on the past 20 years.
Alison Irvine was one of the first educators at the centre when it opened.
“When we first opened there was about 90 students enrolled, thirty in each group,” she said.
Mrs Irvine remembers students coming from all across the region.
“We had groups of all the kids that came from all the outlying towns,” she said.
“It was just wonderful to see and I still get told from time to time up the street that I taught their son or daughter.”
Mrs McClure said the service was opened in 1998 after collaboration with the Northern Grampians Shire who established the Taylors Gully Children’s Precinct where the kindergarten is located.
“Early years learning is very important for development and we pride ourselves in providing quality programs that encourage and expose children with opportunities to grow,” she said.
“We work with both the leaseholder Northern Grampians Shire Council who run the Maternal Child Health Centre. We also work in tandem with the YMCA who offer before and after kinder care.”
Although Mrs McClure is now retired from the kindergartens, she does assist a few hours a week.
“We have moved to early years management facilitated through the Horsham and District Kindergarten Association from February 1 this year,” she said.
“This is still transitioning through and I am helping to ensure a smooth transfer over to the new management team.
“The aim is always to keep services available in Stawell through ensuring viable and quality programs for children.”
While you’re with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday morning from the Stawell Times-News. To make sure you’re up-to-date with all the news from across the Northern Grampians shire, sign up here.