Friday was warm and sunny and perfect for the celebration that was to come.
Over the course of the day, perhaps 400 people passed through the front gates to join
in the festivities. In attendance were Rod and Ruth Schenk and John and Pat May, the founders of
the Wongutha Training Farm. Also present were two students from the first intake in 1954, Trevor
Shaw and Alan Bonney. We also saw many past students and staff, from the mid-fities right up until
recent times.
Our two local MPs, Barry Haase MHR and Ross Ainsworth MLA were present, as were representatives
of many government and non-government bodies that support Wongutha.
The event started at 2pm on Friday with the official events, including the opening of
three new buildings. The meeting was held in the new Sports Stadium. The room was given an historical
look by the inclusion of two old vehicles, a tractor and a truck, closely resembling some of the
original vehicles. The tray of the truck was used to stage the musicians, a mix of current and past
staff and students, who entertained us greatly throughout all the official events.
Speakers included Les Tucker (chairman of the CAPS board), John May,
Denzil Humphries (an early staff member, now a prominent church leader) and Phil Schenk (son of
Rod and Ruth). Three current year 12 students – Sarah Ougham, Shirley Skeen and Ashley Thomas
and two former students – Todd Meredith and Janelle Reynolds, spoke of their experiences
at Wongutha.
The buildings were opened by Barry Haase, on behalf of the commonwealth
government. The new buildings opened were:
- The John and Pat May Sports Stadium
- The library, which is an addition to the Les and Kathy Tucker Administration Building
- The Rod and Ruth Schenk Dining Room
Also present were students from CAPS Kurrawang, who presented an item.
A Barbecue tea was served on Friday evening. The food was universally acclaimed as one of the
highlights of the weekend! The kitchen staff and hospitality students excelled themselves, using much of
Wongutha’s own produce (in the form of beef, trout and vegetables) to present a magnificent spread over
the course of the weekend.
At 7pm we met again in the Sports Stadium for reminiscences. John May and principal Steve
Florisson presented slide shows and told the stories of their own time at the school (covering most
of the 50 years between them). Others were able to speak of their own recollections of the school and
Alan Bonney gave a fascinating account of his experiences. More items were presented.
Saturday’s events started with a family sports day at 2pm. Various events were held including
races (see photo 5.jpg, Sarah Ougham leading the field), mechincal bull riding
and many exciting and foolish games. The highlight of the day was the showdown between
teachers Harry Graham and Terry Buckley. Harry has won the 100m at every similar event for 8 years, but
Terry had been training hard for months and managed to wrest the crown from the champion!
Saturday’s dinner was even better than Friday’s!
Saturday night was a Country Gospel Concert with music from our staff and students (past and
present) and items from various groups, including staff, the CAPS board, students and others.
Sunday morning we met again in the Sports Stadium for a Thanksgiving Church Service. We gave
thanks for the wonderful work that God has done in this place for 50 years and will continue to do so.
We shared the Lord’s Supper together and Denzil Humphries gave an encouraging message.
We shared a packed lunch together before people gradually started leaving for their homes all
over the state.
We estimate that 450 people attended the school at various times during the weekend.
