Please see the article below that was submitted by the Irwin Memorial Public School (IMPS) Parent Council chair:
During the Centennial Celebrations of 1967, a rock cairn was built at IMPS. Students from that year remembered adding rocks to the cairn, and items to a time capsule within, although no documentation has been found around this event.
Over the past couple of years, IMPS Parent Council became concerned that the cairn was in disrepair, and that the contents of the time capsule may be getting compromised. As a result, in February, Parent Council decided to repair the cairn and enter a new time capsule with items contributed by current students, which would be opened in 2050. A message was put out to the greater community asking for information around the 1967 time capsule, inviting them to a parent engagement evening at the school, and asking permission to open the older time capsule, document the items, and re-enter them with the new time capsule.
In early May, repairs of the cairn began and a metal box was discovered inside it. Unfortunately, upon examining the box, it felt empty and was determined that the bolts closing it were extremely rusted and would need to be cut off. To best prepare for the upcoming event, the box was opened and seemed to have contained only paperwork that had been destroyed by water and time. This information was shared with the community, but the invite to gather at the school to reminisce and add items to the new time capsule stood.
As a result, on May 13, IMPS hosted a BBQ and time capsule event. Many alumni from 1967 did attend, as well as many current IMPS families, and items were added to the new time capsule.
The original builder of the cairn, Roy Bullock, attended, as did Cole Shields, an IMPS graduate who generously built a new time capsule box. During the event, the wad of paper found in the old time capsule was pulled apart, and three old IMPS felted emblems were found. These items have been added to the new time capsule, along with other items that have been printed out from the IMPS archives.
“We are also grateful to another two IMPS graduates, Marshall Clarke and Jamie Cousintine, who are repairing the cairn to withstand many more years,” said Parent Council chair, Sarah Roberts. “Parent Council has done a great job documenting this event with the intention that the time capsule be re-opened by the IMPS community in 2050, and the hope is that the IMPS Time Capsule tradition continues for many generations.”
