#4 August Edition 2017

It’s definitely getting very exciting around here now that we are weeks away!!! Over 200 tickets to the Back to 1917: Jazz Supper Club have now sold. Get your friends organised ‘cause it’s going to be the cat’s pyjamas! Back to 1917: Jazz Supper Club Cairns State High’s 100 year party is a supper club with a dress up theme of Back to 1917. Hit the op shops or the back of the cupboard as you will find a lot of Gatsby kind of frills, hats, pearls, flapper dresses and pretty much anything 1920s will adorn guests on the night. Not everyone has to dress up but there’s the option, otherwise semi-formal attire will be appropriate. The iconic Quadrangle will be decorated by the professionals from Staging Connections with festoon lighting, illuminated lighting throughout A Block, a dance floor, and a couple of stages including one for group photos onto A block. The professional sound and AV will complement the student performances. Old scholars and current students will be performing and recorded music will also be played to add to the alluring atmosphere. This includes our excellent dancers and our award winning orchestra which will be expanded to 100 and they will play a specially composed piece. R Block (the new Junior Secondary building) will also be utilised with the third level as a sky bar with a piano and lounges and the best view of the party downstairs as well as a historical display on the second floor. There will be canapes and food stations with a luscious array of food throughout the ground floor along with cash bars and cocktails. There will be tables and chairs spread over the grass and undercover to allow for comfort and also quiet zones. Later in the evening we will cut the biggest birthday cake Cairns has ever seen, followed by a fireworks finale on the oval, concluding at 10pm.

All past students and current members of the school community are invited to the Jazz Supper Club and the morning or afternoon session of the Back to Cairns High Open Day on 15 September. Bookings are required so please contact the school on the above phone number to enquire.

Centenary Restoration Project Thanks to the support and sponsorship of the Cairns community and families, the Centenary restoration project is drawing close to completion. The terrazzo flooring and staircase has been returned to its former glory and the window glass panels in the main reception area have been replaced with long panels with the emblem sand etched onto the centre glass panel. The shadow it casts on the floor in the afternoon sun is just beautiful. For generations, this area has been an iconic and special place for students and staff of Cairns High. It is wonderful to see it looking like the Gatsby mansion itself … well perhaps not so opulent but definitely something the community will be proud of. All work was of course approved by the Department of Heritage.

The MacKenzie walk (formerly known as the Rainforest area) will also be completed in time for the events. A beautifully serene and safe place for students to relax and play. This large area between L, G and K blocks is looking magnificent already and will be utilised during the events on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 September.

Cairns Show presence and Centenary Celebrations souvenirs Thanks to all the lovely past students and teachers and Principals who dropped by our show stall during the Cairns Show. It was great to meet with some of you and hear the chatter of reunion years coming together to celebrate our centenary. The Centenary showbags that were assembled were

quite popular and we will continue to sell them at school and at the Open Day and gala event in September. Our showstopping popular item was definitely the USB with all Eurokas ever made saved on to it. At $10 it’s a bargain, filled with memories, photos and stories of yesteryears, and yes it is included in the Centenary showbag. Since the Cairns Show we have reduced the price of the cute little Brutus the Bulldog and also the umbrellas.

Make sure you also get a copy of the centenary book: Cairns High: The First Hundred Years 1917-2017. We continue to hear wonderful reports on this amazing keepsake. The 420 page colour book is

only $50 and we just keep getting positive feedback about it. Many copies were sold at the Cairns Show and continue to sell at the school.

Centenary Treble Clef Project To commemorate the 2017 Centenary Celebrations a treble clef wrought iron sculpture commissioned to celebrate 100 years of music at Cairns State High School. Donations of $50.00 and over will be acknowledged with individual/family names on a plaque at the base of the clef. Form with payment options is available when you scroll down our Centenary Celebrations webpage on the school’s website. A huge thank you to the families who have already donated.

We really want to make sure that the whole Cairns community, and beyond, are aware of the great upcoming events that we have to celebrate this significant milestone. So please join in with the sharing and the chatter.

Clare Macpherson | Marketing Officer | T 4050 3063 | centenarycelebrations@cairnsshs.eq.edu.au