Community & Business
16 February, 2026
Night of nostalgia at school reunion
Former students from Pittsworth State High School’s (PSHS) graduating class of 1980 reunited at the Brookstead Pub on Saturday for a night of reminiscing and reconnecting.
Time might have marched on (46 years to be exact!) but the former students picked up right where they left off - swapping stories, sharing laughs and reliving the moments that shaped their schooling years.
Nearly 40 of the former students and their plus-ones attended the celebration which continued on well into the early hours of the morning.
In February last year, sisters Amanda Burcher and Leigh Glasser (both nee Saal), who now live in the Goondiwindi district, were cleaning out their late father’s unit at The Grange Country Villas.
The pair found time to reconnect with old friends and former classmates Jo Collins, Graham Schultz and Jamie Faux, and it was there that plans for a school reunion began to form.
Those who were part of the graduating class, attending either Brookstead State School or Pittsworth State High School classes between 1969 and 1980 were invited to attend.
Mrs Burcher said the night was so memorable, and she felt very fortunate to have been born and educated where she was.
“Such a privilege to be part of this group of great people,” she said.
“We now plan to catch up again in two years.”
The delicious meal at the Brookstead Pub was enjoyed by all, and the organisers extended a special thanks to Kylie Schultz for providing the courtesy bus from the Pittsworth Motor Inn.
Back in 1980, life looked very different for the PSHS graduating class.
There were no mobile phones, no social media, and definitely no Google - just handwritten notes passed in class, long phone calls on the family landline, and evenings spent watching Countdown.
Overhead projectors and film strips were considered high-tech teaching tools, and chalkboards meant a layer of dust sat in every room.
Elizabeth Eiser was the class dux, and the school Principal was Ray Mullins.
One thing that hasn’t changed in the last 40 odd years is how small schools continue to serve their community - something Mr Mullins championed in his end-of-year speech at the school awards’ night in 1980.
He disagreed with the claim that many small country schools were uneconomical propositions and observed that critics forgot that the establishment of a school was not measured in results only.
Mr Mullins said a school served a community and in doing this, helped with community development.
Through their children, people became involved in a wide range of activities, and in some small way, the school contributed to the economy of the town.
When the class of 1980 gathered on Saturday, it was proof that while times may change, old friendships and good memories last a lifetime.
