Hastings residents are gathering to celebrate the 50 year reunion of Wauchope High School.
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The reunion will be held in October.
Students across the district attended the school in Wauchope during their HSC years of 11 and 12 when it opened in 1959.
To celebrate, a tour of the school and the reunion will be held at Wauchope Country Club on October 15.
Reunion organiser and former school captain Sue Goodison said the high school was always renowned for producing dedicated students and athletes in the Hastings area.
"It was a good school, and had academic students that topped the state. Wauchope had amazing sporting teams and the student base was very strong, particularly in rugby league," she said.
"The school was built in 1959 and continued a town rivalry with Port Macquarie, who didn't get their first high school until 1962. Those students requiring a secondary education had previously travelled to Taree and Kempsey.
"We have tracked down about 75 students and we also have about six teachers for the reunion. We are still looking for a few people such as Ian Day, Peter Fowler and Grant Kennewell from Kendall, Karen Long from Kew, Wayne Campbell, Janet Terry and Ian Thomas from Laurieton and Dunbogan.
"There are a lot of people we haven't seen for 50 years and it's really the good memories of the school that draw people back."
Wauchope High School's maximum enrolments increased from 233 in 1954 to 676 by 1978 due an increase in population, rising demand for higher education, buses from Camden Haven area in 1959, the closure of St Joseph's Central School in 1967 and students diverted from Comboyne Central which closed in 1970.
Sue, who was a student from Kew, said kids from across the Camden Haven travelled to finish their senior school studies in Wauchope.
"Students of that era were educated at Wauchope High because Kendall didn't offer the necessary Higher School Certificate and advanced studies at that time," she said.
"It was zoned in a way that Wauchope High collected students from Dunbogan, Laurieton, Bonny Hills, Kew, Kendall, Bago, Byabarra and Pappinbarra.
"There were three or four bus loads of kids from the Camden Haven each day and in the reverse of that, Wauchope people often went to Bonny Hills for their holidays and to surf.
"Wauchope was a very solid school with swimmers and other athletes. It was well thought of, before Kendall District Rural School eventually moved to year seven to 12."
Reunion organisers have started a social media group called Wauchope High School 50 year reunion. For more information contact susangoodison@icloud.com or visit the group on Facebook.
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