Sixty former students, a teacher, relatives and residents attended a commemoration of the centenary of Yallingup Primary School on July 23.
The Yallingup Primary School was officially opened on July 19, 1922 and operated at the site on the corner of Caves and Wildwood Roads until 1963 when it was closed as a State school.
Students from this area and Quindalup Primary School were then bussed into a new Dunsborough Primary School from 1964.
After a period as a Youth Hostel, shelter for surfers and vacancy the Steiner School purchased the site from the WA Government in 1991 and have operated here ever since.
They now have custody over the old heritage classroom that most of the visitors were educated in.
Teacher, Ron Carmody in 1962, spoke eloquently about delivering a primary education to 30 students from years 1 - 7 in the one small classroom.
This included a scarcity of teaching resources, having to dig a hole to bury the contents of the old pan toilets, requesting a rubber tyred wheelbarrow to prevent spillage from the Education Department only to be told they were only provided to High Schools.
He spoke about Cricket and football was played amongst other imaginative games, wildflower shows which Yallingup always seemed to win, school sports days against Quindalup, Jarrahwood and Vasse.
There was also running film nights at Greenacres Caravan Park and Meelup to raise funds and working with a very supportive and friendly community.
Other stories emerged about how the cane was used for seemingly minor things, riding a horse or bike to school but mostly walking, sewing and leatherwork classes, "wrigglers" ( mosquito larvae ) in the drinking water from the tank.
Most students in bare feet, the widespread interest in space as the first manned flights of Yuri Gagarin and John Glenn got worldwide attention, bulldozers working with lots of noise and dust in nearby paddocks and the dominant pine trees, some of which are still there.
Mr Carmody and Audrey Sully (Mclachlan) also spoke of the teacher from 1922, John Tonkin, becoming Premier of the State and numerous examples of successful farmers and business people, teachers, nurses, mechanics, truck drivers, a State cricketer (Graham House), State footballer (Phil Farrell) and Parliamentarian (Barry House) and generally good all round citizens receiving their first education at this school.
Among the oldest to attend were former students Beryl Rose (Forrest) (1938 ), Grace Jensen (Forrest) (1938), Lillian Miller (Morrison) (1948), Hilda Evans (Scott) (1945), John Hill (1948), and Irene Penfold (House (1947 - 54).
Afternoon tea was cooked by the Steiner School students.
The City of Busselton provided a small grant from it's minor Events Program to defray some costs. The Wadandi people were acknowledged.
Yallingup played an important role in the early development of farming, timber and tourism, via Ngilgi Cave and Caves House Hotel.
These activities did much to put this area into context as families started to move to Yallingup and needed schooling.
A journal containing the attendees names, details of their schooling, recollections of the times and other memorabilia will be placed with the Dunsborough Historical Society for safe keeping and recording.
The organising Committee were Audrey Sully (McLachlan), Barry House, Kerry Patton (Scott), John Butterly, Carolyn Shearn (McLachlan) and Ruth Scott (Hayley).