The late afternoon sun spilled across the red-brick walls of Scarborough State School as children rehearsed songs and parents strung up centenary bunting. It’s hard to imagine that a century ago, in 1925, this same patch of seaside ground welcomed just thirty pupils and a single teacher. Now, as the community prepares to celebrate 100 years of memories, laughter, and learning, the school stands as a living chronicle of Scarborough’s heart and history.
The major centenary event will take place on October 24, from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. The celebration will welcome past and present students, teachers and families back to the campus. Activities include an assembly at 4:00 pm, a memorabilia display in the library, guided tours of the school and a reunion-style gathering organised by the P&C Association.
Principal Will Johnston said students, especially those in Prep and Year 6, were enthusiastic about taking part in the milestone. He noted that while the younger pupils might not fully grasp the significance of 100 years, the older ones understand the importance of the school’s long history within the Peninsula. Johnston added that the occasion reflects the school’s strong community connection and its ongoing reputation as a school of choice in the area.
In preparation for the event, the school has been gathering memorabilia such as photographs, report cards and canteen menus from earlier decades. Among the more unusual finds was a 3-cent “meat cube” listed on a historic menu, which has amused current staff and students.
To mark the occasion, younger pupils will dress up as centenarians and take part in a Larry the Lion scavenger hunt to find 100 hidden lions around the school. Senior students will hold a school disco the week before the main celebration.
A Century of Learning and Community
The story of Scarborough State School began more than a century ago when local residents proposed the idea of a new school for the northern end of the Redcliffe Peninsula during a public meeting in 1918.
Although the first application to the Department of Public Instruction was rejected after an inspector noted that only 11 of the 51 listed children lived more than two miles from Humpybong State School, the idea was not abandoned.
In 1924, a newly formed committee renewed the proposal for a school at Eversleigh Road. Despite opposition from some residents who favoured a different site, approval was granted later that year. The school officially opened on March 9, 1925, with one building containing a single classroom and 30 pupils enrolled on the first day.
The first head teacher, William J. Stewart, taught alone for five years before retiring in 1935. From those modest beginnings, the school has grown to around 780 students and now features facilities such as a tennis court, swimming pool and spacious grounds with Weeping and Moreton Bay Fig trees planted during Arbor Days from 1926 onwards.
Over the decades, Scarborough State School has produced a number of notable former students. Olympian Graham Higham, who represented Australia in boxing at the 1948 London Games, attended the school in the 1930s. The Gibb brothers, Barry, Maurice and Robin, were also enrolled there briefly in 1959 before going on to international fame as the Bee Gees.
The school’s history includes moments of drama as well. During the Second World War, two US Airacobra fighter planes collided over the Peninsula in 1942, scattering debris across the school grounds. Teachers moved students to safety, and no casualties were recorded among pupils or staff.
By the late 1940s, the school had its own tuckshop, run by volunteers who served homemade cakes and sandwiches once a week. Local figures such as Smokey the Pie Man, who sold pies and cream buns from a ute fitted with a wood stove, became lunchtime favourites among students.
As the school marks its centenary, Johnston said the celebration highlights the enduring role Scarborough State School has played in shaping generations of Peninsula families. The milestone, he said, is both a tribute to the past and a reflection of the community’s ongoing pride in its local school.
Published 15-October-2025
