It was a beautiful sunny winter’s day at Mount George Public School on Friday June 23 when the bus with residents from the the Whiddon Group Wingham (Wingham Court) arrived for a three-course lunch.
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School leaders Caity Watkins and Gracie Minns were at the front gate to meet our guests and walk them up our historical path up to the ‘café’.
They were also joined by special guests Wendy Jones (former school administration manager), Rodney O’Regan OAM (long-time friend of Mount George Public School) and Pam Niperess (former teacher and Wingham Chronicle columnist from Mount George).
The infant students, who were heavily involved in the growing, harvesting, preparation and cooking of the lunch left the service of meals for the primary students.
The infants sat next to our elderly guests and practised their table manners, conversation starters and storytelling while learning about our guests’ stories.
To begin the service some of the Mount George students introduced the menu (My Kitchen Rules style) and informed the guests what produce came from their garden.
The students then sang two songs called Home among the Gum Trees and Better when I’m Dancing to open the service.
The guests were served a range of courses made from fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables from our garden.
For the starter they guests enjoyed a potato and leek soup, for main a vegetable lasagne and roasted beetroot and capsicum salad, and desert was Quad Citrus Tasty Delight – handmade pastry tarts with zingy lemon and lime cheesecake filling, topped with fresh and candied orange peels. Beside this was orange and lemonade ice cream inside an orange quarter which took the citrus tally to four!
The students also ensured that the diners had plenty of refreshments serving a citrus and mint punch, water and teat and coffee. The kids took tea and coffee orders and delivered them personally with a smile.
At the conclusion of the service former local Wingham mayor, 93-year-old Allan Carlisle presented the students with a lantern for the Wingham Winter Solstice Lantern Walk being held that afternoon.
“Children, you can be extremely proud of what you have achieved here today. You made us oldies feel young again. I can confidently say you are all going to turn out to be noble citizens. You bring a tear to an old man’s eye,” Mr Carlisle said.
Rodney O’Regan expressed his gratitude by saying to the kids “I am gobsmacked! What a talented bunch you all are. The singing, the food, the table service… absolutely incredible!”
