The women met up at the school’s 50th anniversary held at the weekend, a year later than planned because of Covid-19 restrictions in 2022.
The friends, Karen Pullar, Judith McGrath (nee Trapski), Sue Templeton (nee Willocks), Joanne Speden and Anne Braid (nee Falconer), completed their final year of primary school at the intermediate.
They keep in touch via social networking sites.
Even though it was only for one year, the pupils looked forward to changing schools because they were first day pupils, Ms Pullar said.
"To be going to a brand new school and to be the first — I think that’s what was exciting."
Going to Gore High School the next year was more "daunting", Ms Speden said.
Mrs Braid said she did not wear a uniform as pupils who were attending the school for a year did not have to.
"It didn’t seem to bother me though."
Her mother did knit her a green cardigan, which was part of the uniform, she said.
Some of the women had previously been attending country schools where there were many year levels in each class so it was interesting to be in a class where everyone was a similar age, Ms Pullar said.
That made forming a softball team much easier, she said.
The pupils travelled to Gore Main School for home economics and woodwork.
"It was the first year we actually did woodwork as well as cooking and sewing," Mrs Braid said.
"Previously the boys did the woodwork and the girls did cooking and sewing," Ms Pullar said.
"It was pretty revolutionary to let the girls do woodwork."
Dana Turnbull (nee Bain), of Pukerau, not only attended the school in the 1990s but returned there to teach in 2002.
"I came back to familiar roots."
It was her first year of teaching and she taught a year 8 class.
"For me it was a really great [and] grounding."
Many of those pupils she kept in touch with today, she said.
"I like to say we were in the same class together which isn’t actually a lie."
Reunion committee member Wendy Muir said it was a "bittersweet" reunion given the school would amalgamate with Gore High School in 2024.
