Contributed by Jen Clarke
On Sunday, June 8, glorious winter weather provided perfect conditions for celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of the building previously used as Witta State School.
Today, the building and grounds are known as the Old Witta School Community Centre, used for monthly markets, weddings, parties, workshops and social gatherings.
The building was used for almost 50 years as the local primary school. When enrolments dropped to seven students and with very few pre-school age children in the district, the school closed. In the early 1990s, the school and residence fell into disuse. Seeing an opportunity to rejuvenate the site for community use, an energetic band of locals lobbied the local government authority to buy the grounds and buildings to be used as a community centre. Their hard work paid off and, over the last 30 years, the Old Witta School has seen many improvements, becoming a much loved and admired community asset.
Using the anniversary as a chance to meet with old acquaintances and friends, many former students, together with the last principal and local community members, gathered to reminisce, chat and laugh.
To underline the significance of the event, representatives from all three tiers of government took time out of their busy schedules to attend the centenary celebrations. Thank you to Andrew, Andrew and Winston for your continued support, particularly through grant funding which enables us to maintain and improve the facilities that form such an integral part of the Witta Community.
The management committee of OWSCC would like to sincerely thank the local businesses and organisations which supported the day through generous donations of funding, goods and services. Our hard-working volunteers did a sterling job in the lead-up to the event as well as helping in a variety of ways on the day.
