Dr Graeme Downe with his son Michael Downe and granddaughter.
More than 60 years after his first day at Sassafras Preschool, Dr Graeme Downe returned to see his granddaughter Maggie begin her own kindergarten journey.
When Graeme Downe first attended the kindergarten around 1960, he arrived in his father's arms with a broken leg.
"I had broken my leg while playing with my sister. It was an accident. Fortunately, the kindergarten was just across the road from our family home," he recalled, adding that the house still stands there.
More than six decades later, Graeme returned to YRK Sassafras Kindergarten for another first day, this time with his granddaughter Maggie.
"It was very moving to see Maggie start her educational journey at the same place where I had begun mine," he said.
Graeme remembers entering through a side door as a child as the front entrance was used as an infant welfare centre. Although much has changed, the grounds remain familiar.
"The grounds were familiar and brought back childhood memories," he said, though these days there is more playground equipment.
He remembers around 14 children, a playground with woodchips and a slide, and a close-knit village where everyone knew each other.
“Everyone was local,” Graeme said.
The community was so small that his Sassafras primary school had to combine with children from neighbouring schools in Ferny Hill and Olinda to field a football match
His son Michael, Maggie's father, also shared the family story during YRK Sassafras Kindergarten’s recent art show.
"My father came to this kindergarten when it still new," Michael recalled.
His older sister attended another YRK kindergarten, Upwey Preschool, before Sassafras opened. His younger siblings later attended Sassafras. “My younger sister, Glenys, attended Sassafras preschool, later teaching there as well as having her son Aamon attend,” he said.
Graeme went on to become a doctor, spending more than 30 years as a general practitioner.
Today, it is Maggie's turn to make memories at Sassafras where she begins her own learning journey.
"I like that my grandfather came here," she said.
Our roots reach further
Sassafras Preschool opened in 1953, more than 40 years before Yarra Ranges Kindergartens (YRK) was established in 1996.
As YRK celebrates its 30th anniversary, Graeme and Maggie's story reminds us that many of our 22 kindergartens have much longer histories.
For generations, they have been places where children learn, friendships grow and families build lasting connections.
For Graeme, Sassafras holds a lifetime of memories. For Maggie, the story is just beginning.
30 years. 22 kindergartens. Thousands of stories.
Visit YRK Sassafras Kindergarten, and take a tour of this very special kindergarten.