Seven decades of Narrogin students and teachers reunite for Narrogin Senior High School 70th anniversary

Narrogin Senior High School’s past and present descended on their school grounds at the weekend to celebrate its 70th anniversary. Alumni and teachers — ranging from the class of 1955 to recent 2025 graduates — marked the milestone with a sundowner and open day on Friday and Saturday. The sundowner kickstarted celebrations, with the group of 160 rekindling friendships with former classmates and educators on Friday night while enjoying food and drink at the student-operated Hilltop Cafe. Mike Brown told the tale of his father’s dedicated push to establish a public school in the town, a years-long effort that eventually led to the creation of Narrogin Agricultural High School in 1955. Mr Brown said that while a plot of farmland was originally earmarked as the school’s site, they were unable to move the bull from the paddock, hence the school was built on the infamous prickle bush hill. The campus was renamed Narrogin Agricultural Senior High School five years later, before dropping “agriculture” from the name in 1981. Brian Lange, who served as principal for more than 20 years, said the school has stood as a powerful legacy in town. Teaching his last Narrogin class in 2025 after 46 years, Alan Hall shared a tearful farewell while reflecting on educating generations of families and seeing his students flourish after graduation. Narrogin SHS student events and workplace learning coordinator Londa Finlayson read out an optimistic school report written by Mr Lange before revealing to the room it was about herself when she was a student in the early 2000s. She said it is lovely to see so many return to commemorate the milestone and treasure their memories from Narrogin SHS. On Saturday, an open market day welcomed about 450 attendees from 10am to 2pm to continue the celebration. The day included local stalls, music, food, open classrooms and a 70th birthday cake. A 108-page book, Snapshot, which charts the school’s history from 1990-2024, was also released after three months of tireless work by former Narrogin SHS teachers Heidi Astbury, Jenny Wnuk, Margaret Hetherington and Mr Hall. Narrogin SHS principal Sandii Stankovic said the celebration was one for the school history books. “It’s wonderful to see so many familiar faces, students, staff, families, alumni and friends, all gathered to mark this milestone in our history,” she said. “Seventy years is no small achievement, it represents generations of learning, growth and community spirit. “Today we honour the past and also the bright future ahead. “Let’s enjoy the festivities, share our stories, and make new memories as we celebrate 70 years of excellence, friendship and pride in our school.”