CASTLEMAINE was abuzz with activity at the weekend, thanks to the Castlemaine Technical College’s 125th anniversary celebrations.
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Hundreds of people joined in on the celebrations with Higher Education and Skills Minister Peter Hall officially opening the event at Castlemaine Secondary College on Saturday.
“This school, which started as the School of Mines in 1887, has been educating Castlemaine students since the gold rush, originally teaching gold mining techniques and a number of supporting trades,” Mr Hall said.
“With five generations of local families attending this school, I know how much this place has shaped local history and, as a former student, my own life.
“My father was a student at the tech school in the late ’30s and I had the privilege of being a student at the high school from 1964 to 1969 and was fortunate enough to have been chosen as head prefect in my final year.
“In those days it was difficult to imagine that the high and tech schools would ever become one.
“While we were not at war with each other, we high school students had a healthy respect for our tech school peers.”
Memorabilia displays detailed the history of Castlemaine Technical College, from its origin as the Castlemaine School of Mines in 1887.
Ex-student Bill Sikora said the feedback from participants was all positive.
“It’s gone really well,” he said.
“It’s been an excellent weekend.”
Mr Sikora said the event had involved months of preparation, mostly spent digging through the archives.
“We had all the various uniforms on display and other things to detail what happened in the school,” he said.
The celebrations stretched over Saturday and Sunday and included historical displays, tours and archive displays. ?