EIGHT former Glen Forrest Primary School students reunited last week, 70 years after leaving the school.

Former student Gail Powell said she organised the reunion after Kingsley Porter, her old classmate, prompted her to do it.

“We hadn’t seen each other in many years. I would say it’s been 20 years since some of us saw each other as the last time was at Kingsley’s 60th birthday,” she said.

“It was great fun tracking everybody down. A little bit stressful, because, you know, it was a bit tricky, but we found them all.”

The former students met at the school and had the opportunity to visit their old classroom.

“The headmistress there kindly allowed us to go in, so we were able to reminisce about where we sat and what we did,” Ms Powell said.

“And one of the boys, Warwick, I wasn’t going to say anything, but he brought it up. When we were studying there, I had long pigtails, and he used to sit behind me. And guess where my pigtails ended up? In the inkwell.”

Ms Powell said they all shared fond and happy memories of the school, from winning the marching band prize to getting into mischief with beloved old teachers.

“And then after that, we all went up to the Mahogany Inn for lunch. One of the great things was that one of the boys looked like he may not be able to make it. He said, I will do the best I can, and in the middle of the afternoon, he walked in and the welcome that he got was fantastic,” she said.

Four of the former students still live around the area in Glen Forrest, Mt Helena, Stoneville and Koongamia.

Although the school has changed since the class graduated in 1956, Ms Powell is happy to still see some of its old history remaining.

“The school is massive, but thankfully they kept our school room. They’ve kept the huge Moreton Bay fig tree that we used to play under. The flagpole is still there and the school bell is also there,” she said.

The former students hope to stay in touch and organise more reunions soon.

“We feel really lucky to have friendships that have lasted so long and they’re still very precious to us all,” Ms Powell said.