Lynne Mowbray St James Primary School at Yamba celebrated its 20th anniversary which was held at the school on Thursday November 2, with the opening of their time capsules. School Principal Ann Dawson said that the first time capsule was buried in 1997 and a second capsule in 2007 and since then the school has chosen to open them every 10 years, to keep a sense of ‘connectivity to the community’. “These days give us an opportunity to welcome back those who have contributed to the development of a Catholic school in the Yamba community,” Ms Dawson said. “It also gives the children a sense of history and places them within the history of the school, which we hope will encourage them to be proud of where they’ve come from and who they can become.” Former staff and ex-students attended the special event on Thursday, with lots of memories being rediscovered from the buried time capsules. Current students and their teachers have worked hard to ensure that their contributions to this year’s time capsule represented each stage of the students within the school. Among the many items that went into the 2017 time capsule was the St James weekly TLC100.3 radio script which reflected the student’s comments on their school surrounds. It talked about the birth of calves on a neighbouring block of land and the pressure on the local kangaroo population due to the redevelopment of property along Carrs Drive. “This is a great opportunity to wonder how St James will have changed by 2027 or even on the 50th anniversary of the schools foundation in 2047,” Ms Dawson said. In the closing of her speech on the day, Ms Dawson shared her favourite proverb. “A society grows great when men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” – Greek Proverb. “Today we invite you to sit in the shade of the trees you planted and thank you for your contribution to our growth,” she said. Other items placed in the 2017 time capsule were: Poetry, favourite songs playlist, playground reflections and ‘All about Me in 2017, roll of the day, newspapers, liturgy, photos, radio scripts, newsletters, enrolment package, staff selfies, handball rules and prayer and song program. Photos and items in the 2017 time capsule were laminated to help preserve the contents.

Images by Lisa Wright