One hears so much about the problems with pre-school and after hours long day child care in NSW. Finding a vacancy from Newtown to Nyngan seems to be the biggest problem canvassed in never ending media reports on the subject. Yet in our small community of Grenfell and the Weddin Shire we have, what can truly be reported, a first class pre-school and long-day care centre that services not only Grenfell, but the shire as a whole. To see the central role the school plays in the life of the district, one only has to attend any of the major activities the school opens to the public throughout the year, and in particular, the annual graduation ceremony that attracts literally hundreds of locals who are all proud family members and friends of the students.
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Another annual pre school event that has been attracting ever more visitors over the last three years is the Pre-School and Long Day Care Art Show held in the Grenfell Hub. This year the title was the “Little Picasso Art Exhibition” and, judging by the art work on display, the show is aptly named. This year’s exhibition was officially opened on Tuesday night at the Grenfell Hub, with a very large crowd in attendance, by school principal Sharon Grant and Grenfell’s own Renaissance man, Noel Cartwright. Noel was introduced by Sharon who spoke of Noel’s award winning artistic background in the fields of music, art and pottery as well as well as creating an award-winning endemic garden at his property on O’Brien’s Hill that contains species unique to Noel’s creation. Sharon also mentioned that Noel’s garden is opened to the public throughout the year and all proceeds go to the Grenfell Senior Citizens Welfare Committee. Some of Noel’s artwork was also on display in the foyer and inside the hub as part of the evening’s program.
Sharon then went on to talk with great pride in the team work carried out by the staff, students, school committee and parents in bringing this wonderful effort to fruition every year. She explained that the project entails a lot of work, including getting the students to paint, then hanging the work in the gallery and publishing the catalogue, amongst a host of other tasks that need to be completed. All the shire’s schools have participated in the exhibition since its inception and the program was made complete this year with the addition of the Quandialla Central School and the Grenfell Play Group contributions.
Sharon also informed the packed out room that the exhibition is such a success because getting the children to paint is no effort, as “they seem to enjoy doing it”. Sharon went on to say that “You may look at some paintings and think you know what they are about but…. when you talk to them they soon let you know what the subject matter is, and you then immediately understand that they have painted what they see and every picture they paint tells a story”.
However, the best advertisement and justification for all the effort in bringing the exhibition to reality was the overwhelming enthusiasm of the children as they do what kids do naturally.
They ran, they played, they made a lot of noise and, best of all, they proudly showed their Mums, Dads, grandparents, siblings and friends their artworks hanging on the wall with their name attached and telling the world of their wonderful achievements.
