From floods to festivals, Brunswick Heads Public School has long the been the anchor of village life.
And never was that more evident than during last weekend’s Old and Gold festival, when the school grounds filled with market stalls, food, live music from Mullumbimby High School students, and a steady stream of familiar faces.
Set in the centre of Brunswick Heads and dating back to 1888, the school has long been a gathering point for generations of local families, with former students often returning years later as parents, volunteers and business owners.
Among them was Brunswick Heads Bait and Tackle owner Matthew Hardy, known locally as ‘Lammy’, who once attended the school and now has three children enrolled there.
Alongside running the local bait and tackle shop, Mr Hardy regularly closes the business to take students fishing as part of the school’s sports program, donating bait and sharing his knowledge with local children.
‘He’s a big part of the community,’ principal Jodi Lambert said. ‘Everyone knows him.’
For Ms Lambert, who has worked at the school for 11 years and led it for the past five, those enduring ties are one of the things that make the school special.
‘That’s one of the highlights of the job,’ she said.
‘You see them leave here, and then you might run into them working at one of the local businesses, or they come back and visit us and update us with what they’re up to.’
Part of the Brunswick village
During Old and Gold, the school hosted 30 stalls, curries run by the Parents and Citizens Association (P&C), cakes and desserts from local Lilly Pilly preschool, and live entertainment from Mullumbimby High School music students.
Ms Lambert said the school’s connection to the broader community extended well beyond the classroom, with much of Brunswick Heads effectively becoming an extension of the campus.
‘We’re right in the heart of the community, literally,’ she said.
‘Even though our school site is small, we have the luxury of utilising all the wonderful things the village has. We do sport down at the river and the beach, run cross country along the beach, and kids can choose fishing, kayaking, surfing and beach games for sport.’
Students also perform drama productions and musicals at the Brunswick Picture House, giving every child the opportunity to appear on a professional stage complete with lighting and sound.
‘Not many schools can offer that,’ Ms Lambert said.
The school’s importance has also been evident during more difficult periods for the community.
Following the 2022 floods, Brunswick Heads Public School hosted displaced students from Mullumbimby and Crabbes Creek schools, accommodating around 150 extra children on site as families recovered from the disaster.
‘It was a wild time,’ Ms Lambert said. ‘We were utilising the whole community to have spots for everyone to learn.’
Out of that experience came the school’s Breakfast Club program, which still runs three mornings a week in partnership with Foodbank, providing toast, cereal and fruit to students before classes.
‘Being a school is more than just the academic side of things,’ Ms Lambert said. ‘It’s about looking after kids socially and emotionally, and their wellbeing too.’
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