When Graman School held its centenary celebrations in 1980, long-time resident Charles Duddy commented to former principal, Tom Taylor: "This school is having its centenary now, but it will never have a bicentenary".
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Tom did not quite believe him, but it was Charles who better understood a changing demographic and the school closed not so many years later.
After opening in 1980, Graman was a one-teacher school until 1960, when surging enrolments demanded the appointment of a second staff member.
The last teacher-in-charge was John Shields.
Tom became the first principal with Patricia Nightingale appointed as his assistant. The next year, Margaret Gatenby replaced Patricia.
The growth in pupil numbers at that time had much to do with the establishment of soldier-settler blocks after the war.
Ex-servicemen with young families were able to take up six or seven hundred acre blocks and farm them under a Federal Government-assisted scheme.
Many of the children enrolled were from the families of such ex-servicemen.
During the first eighty years of the school's operation, teachers-in-charge found accommodation on local farms or at the hotel.
With a mooted upgrading to two teacher status in 1960, the community was advised that it was more than likely that a married man with a few years of service would be appointed to head up the school and would need a cottage to live in.
So it was in Tom's case.
He was in his tenth year of service with a wife and three young daughters. One of the cottages on "Ulupna" was made available and it was here that Tom and his family lived for four years before transfer to the Tweed area.
Assistant Margaret, on the other hand, became a very long-term resident.
After boarding at the hotel for some time, she married Brian McCosker from Wallangra, raised her family there and remains to this day.
Tom has very fond memories of the Graman he knew in the 1960's.
He especially recalls the warmth with which he and his family were received and the generous support that people provided to the school.
Popular means of P and C fund-raising were to conduct American tennis tournaments, to have a clay-pigeon shoot or to hold a cabaret ball.
The May concerts became an annual feature and unearthed a lot of local talent.
Television was yet to arrive so the live entertainment of a concert was welcomed and the preparations for it in the form of rehearsals made for lots of great social inter-action.
Half of the program for the first concert was provided by the school pupils but in ensuing years it became a full two-hour show by adults.
Individual acts were supplemented by short sketches where the actors had to learn lines and rehearse over a few weeks prior to performance night.
It was very corny material by modern standards but still good for a laugh in those days. The teacher from Wallangra, John Moore, was roped in to build up cast numbers, along with three teachers from Ashford.
One rehearsal night, both John's car and the Ashford vehicle were out of action but the show must go on, even preparations for the show must go on.
Tom drove a circuit from Graman to Wallangra to Ashford to Graman to get people to the hall for their run-through then returned them home afterwards.
Tom has taken it upon himself to organise a reunion for all those who knew Graman in the 1960's or, indeed, at any time over the years.
It will be held over the forthcoming Easter weekend starting with a dinner at the Graman Hotel on Saturday, April 11 at 7pm.
This will be followed by a gathering at Graman Hall on Sunday, April 12 at 12pm, where people are asked to bring their own lunch and refreshments.
There will be a chance to reminisce, view memorabilia, sing a song or two from the old days or perhaps stand up and talk about what Graman meant to them many years ago.
Already, members of the Body, Duddy, Carn, McCosker, Edwards and Taylor families have expressed keen interest. There must be many others not yet contacted for whom this event would appeal and those in the know are asked to spread the word.
It is important that, for catering purposes, bookings are made with Amy at the Graman Hotel for the Saturday night dinner by calling 6725 6491.