Chairo celebrates 40

Chairo Christian School celebrated its 40-year anniversary with a special dinner recently.

The school began in Lardners Trk, Drouin East in 1983 with just 19 prep to year six students.

Four decades years later, the school has 1700 students from kindergarten to year 12 across campuses at Drouin East, Drouin, Leongatha, Pakenham and Traralgon.

As part of this year's celebration of four decades of Christian education at Chairo, 200 invited guests attended a special celebration dinner in the appropriately named Heritage Hall at the Drouin East campus.

Those invited included early students, parents and staff members, board chairs from across the years, early and current members of the board, past and current principals and business managers, those currently serving in executive and middle management positions and long-serving staff members.

Guest speaker was Steve McAllister, a valued member of the school community who has served in multiple ways at Chairo over the years, including as a parent, board chairman, Pakenham campus founder and principal, and now grandparent.

Students from the Pakenham campus provided live music and singing at the beginning of the event, while past board chairman John Ballantyne opened in prayer and long-serving current teacher Annette Martin closed in prayer.

Steve Messer, Steve Camp and Rod Boreham performed musical items and Jeff and Merron Calway led everyone in singing "In Christ Alone".

Karen Hooper spoke on behalf of Christian Education National and Rob Bruce responded on behalf of the school's company directors. Some special interview videos were also shown, and a cake was cut.

The event was an opportunity to give thanks and to honour the school's pioneering parents, a good number of whom were able to attend and catch up with "friends of old".

Everyone is looking forward to what the next 40 years will bring.

Some students from Chairo’s earliest years attended the event including (from left) Tamzin Carr (Walsh), Justin Gall, Dallas Downie (Hughes), Michelle Tepper (Ballantyne), Deborah Cuckson (Knowles), Paul Pike and Ellen Angus (Barnes).

The four founding famiies after whom the sporting houses at Chairo’s Pakenham campus are named (from left) Knowles, Noordermeer, Ballantyne and Hughes.

Eight of ten Chairo board chairs over the years (from left) Ian Knowles, Darryl Martin, Des Wallace, Steve McAllister, Jeff Calway, John Ballantyne, Denise Spink and Rob Bruce.

Some of the staff members from Chairo’s earliest years included Don Gall, Peter Holliday, Di McAllister, Annette Martin, Janene Turnbull, Megan McIntosh and Julie Gall.

Current board chair Rob Bruce and long-serving past board chair John Ballantyne cut the cake at Chairo’s 40-year celebration dinner.

Steve McAllister was the guest speaker at Chairo’s 40-year celebration dinner