​Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past.

Our day to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Ferndale Kindergarten coincided with a potential storm and the final of the Rugby World Cup, so there was a lot to discuss as people gathered to acknowledge the 80 years Ferndale Kindergarten has offered early childhood education to many hundreds of children within the Mt Albert community.

Stories of the learning that happened at kindergarten, sparked by historic photos and a slideshow created a buzz, as time, smiling faces and memories embraced us together, marking our shared moment in time.

Penny’s Mum shared photos she had prepared of when she was a child at Ferndale, I saw her in a group of excited young ones surrounding Santa, here again a potent moment of Ferndale history was captured.

Kim Bouzaid, an ex Ferndale Head Teacher, drove from Waihi to join us and share some of her moments, she said she just had to be here.

Robin Houlker walked around the inside of Ferndale House with delight, as she relived moments she had spent in this place as Head Teacher in the 1970’s, immersed in nostalgia her memories were reawakened and shared.

Our committed support people from Auckland Kindergarten Association, the Board and the Mt Albert Historical Society also joined us for this occasion, to awhi/cherish us in this way was much appreciated.

Whānau listened to the speeches which offered an insight into the history of Ferndale Kindergarten. We learned we were the thirteenth AKA kindergarten to open, just after the war.  Ferndale House once hosted the kindergarten until the purpose built kindergarten we enjoy today, was built next door.

Our celebration was heightened by the voices of our Mokopuna as they strongly sang the very well practiced waiata, ‘Pepeha’ by Six60. 

Our celebration was sweetened by a delicious cake made and decorated by the Jarvis whānau, a cake that was so tempting small arms reached to capture just a smear of the icing, while adults were distracted.

The moments, the wairua, and the memories with which Ferndale Kindergarten has been at the heart of over the past 80 years, has reached many and will continue to do so as we hold our memories close to our heart and live, love and learn together into the future.