October 2002

Newlands Preschool celebrates golden jubilee

Bill Lord and his sister Faye, who attended Newlands Preschool in 1954, were among past and present pupils and their families who celebrated the kindergarten’s golden jubilee.

They joined Anne Green, whose mother was the original director from 1952 to 1956, current director Marion Roberts, who taught there for 24 years and has been director for seven, and staff from every era who returned to the preschool for the anniversary.

The kindergarten community—whose many cultures, traditions and ideas enrich its living and learning—helped manage the celebrations, organised by the preschool Management Committee under president Nancy Vanin.

Preschoolers helped make decorations and parents–two of whom formed a bush band to provide musical entertainment–shared duties during the event with the Management Committee.

Since the early days of Newlands Preschool, parents have accepted the responsibility of managing, maintaining and furnishing the kindergarten.

Newlands Preschool was established in Elizabeth Street, Coburg, in 1952 by the East Coburg Presbyterian Church.

Its move to Newlands Community Centre was mooted in 1988 as part of the Newlands Estate Redevelopment project and completed in 1996.

The relocation followed a planning process that involved a task force comprising representatives of Moreland City Council and local community groups.

Children from the kindergarten and members of local organisations took part in a Community Arts Project in 1995 to create the clay tiles used at the entry of the centre.

Newlands Community Centre, which houses the preschool, also accommodates a Maternal and Child Health Centre and areas for community activities.