A reunion is planned for former students and the community of Marsden Park Public School, to celebrate 130 years since the school began.
The school has been in existence since 1889, with the original school building relocated to the Australiana Pioneer Village at Wilberforce in 1961.
Reunion organiser Anne Birdsey (nee Daczko) said the school community involved not only students and teachers, but also "mums, dads, siblings, nannas and poppas, great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers, aunts, uncles, your neighbours and friends", and all were invited to the celebration.
Mrs Birdsey - who was involved in organising a big bash for the school community to celebrate 125 years in 2014 - is a former pupil of the school, beginning her schooling there in 1951. Her children also went to Marsden Park Public School.
The school is steeped in rich history. A street in the new Elara community in Marsden Park, Aisbett Street, was named after the school's longest-serving headmaster, Tom Aisbett, who served from February 1946 until December 1970.
Mrs Birdsey said when the school was developed, the Public School Act of 1880 - which introduced compulsory education in NSW - stipulated that children over six and not yet 14 years of age were only obliged to attend school for 70 days every six months.
"[This] meant in practice that a pupil could attend three days a week and fulfil the requirements of the law," she said.
"In a farming district like ours, children were kept home to help on the farm or look after younger children."
Mrs Birdsey said there would be a historical display as part of the reunion, including pictures and documents such as the school's old Punishment Book.
In it is says "Corporal Punishment should be inflicted in extreme circumstances only. The boxing of pupils' ears is strictly forbidden. Every case of Corporal Punishment should be recorded at the time the punishment is inflicted."
The Gazette reported in 2014 that the reasons given in the Punishment Book for the cane or strap being given included inattention, bad spelling, laughing during scripture lessons, throwing stones, pulling horses' tails, frightening a horse, smoking in the playground, climbing through school windows, swimming on the way home and watching others swimming.
Pupils, teachers and community members associated with Marsden Park Public School are invited to celebrate 130 years of the school, at The Marsden Brewhouse, Hawthorne Avenue (corner Richmond Road), Marsden Park, on Saturday, July 20.
The event is a sit-down luncheon and will begin at 12.30pm.
RSVP is by Monday, July 1. For information, bookings and payment details, call Anne on 0459 783 618 or Chris on 0401 622 990.