RANGES TRADER STAR MAIL
Home » Mail » Four decades down

Four decades down

 Birmingham Primary is celebrating 40 years and inviting past staff and students to join in.

The Mount Evelyn school is welcoming visitors to stop by from 5pm on Friday 30 November to check out displays of old photos and other memorabilia.

A carols by candlelight event featuring student performances will follow.

Trish Enzinger has been Birmingham’s principal for 15 years.

“I’ve seen two lots of children go through right through to Year 6,” she said.

“I’ve seen a lot of positive changes in education.

“A school has to keep moving forward, both physically and educationally.

“I think one of our greatest achievements in the past five years is to become an accredited CIS school, which means that we’ve had to meet 65 international standards.

“Everything that we do has an international flavour.

“We don’t have a lot of diversity. It’s very important to bring the world to the children, so we try to do that through the Council of International Schools (CIS).

“It’s a pretty good badge to have.”

Current teachers Steve Williams, Bec Wilson and Fiona Pumpa are past students.

“Steve Williams was still in primary school when I had my first year here, which was in 2003,” Ms Enzinger said.

The mums of currents students Blake Swann and Gracie Glassborow also went to Birmingham.

Today it has about 700 students.

“It’s grown exponentially,” Ms Enzinger said.

“It’d be the biggest primary school in the area.

“It’s a really big school but it has a really, really good community feel.

“It doesn’t feel big and the staff when I got here were amazing.

“We’ve had a changeover of staff, but the staff we’ve got now are equally as amazing – they’re really committed to excellence in education and committed to making sure kids do their very best.”

Ms Enzinger hopes past students and teachers will take a look through the display to mark the 40-year milestone.

“We’ve gone into all the archives and we’ve got photo albums from every year,” she said.

“The photos are very funny, when you look back into the ‘70s…

“The staff photos are highly entertaining.

“We really welcome people to come along – anyone that’s had a connection with Birmingham to come along and look at our displays and celebrate with us.

“It’s something that Mount Evelyn can be very proud of.”

Digital Editions


  • Sanders holds firm after time penalty

    Sanders holds firm after time penalty

    Motocross maestro Daniel “Chucky” Sanders remains on top position after stage seven in the 2026 Dakar Rally, despite suffering a speeding penalty. The Three Bridges…

More News

  • Lilydale acts as relief hub for evacuees

    Lilydale acts as relief hub for evacuees

    Purchase this photo from Pic Store: 527854 Lilydale opened a relief centre, seeing evacuees make use of the space as they wait to learn the fates of their properties and…

  • Lilydale relief centre pivots to information only after weekend

    Lilydale relief centre pivots to information only after weekend

    Purchase this photo from Pic Store: 527854 Yarra Ranges Council has advised the community that the Emergency Relief Centre (ERC) opened at the Lilydale Highschool basketball stadium is now closed.…

  • Healesville remembers lost ambos

    Healesville remembers lost ambos

    With the coming of January, the Healesville community pauses for a moment of recognition for two ambulance drivers who died on their way to attending an emergency on 4 January…

  • E-bike to blame for night time blaze in Warburton

    E-bike to blame for night time blaze in Warburton

    An exploding E-bike battery ignited a fire in Warburton on 8 January, sending local CFA crews into a scramble to prevent a major bushfire. CFA units were paged at around…

  • Quarry Lake still off limits for water acess

    Quarry Lake still off limits for water acess

    Purchase this photo from Pic Store: 458145 Knox Council has reminded residents via their news updates page that Quarry Lake is still hosting levels of bacteria considered risky to animal…

  • Community bushfire sessions approach

    Community bushfire sessions approach

    Two free and vital bushfire prep sessions run by the local CFA in the Dandenong Ranges will go ahead this week. The Sassafras-Ferny Creek Fire Brigade CFA will host the…

  • Selby House shuts for first part of the year

    Selby House shuts for first part of the year

    A local community house has had to pivet after an unexpected closure, letting the community know via social media. Selby Community House has reported via social media that their building…

  • Tayla McMillan completes childhood dream of being drafted to Carlton

    Tayla McMillan completes childhood dream of being drafted to Carlton

    Wantirna South superstar Tayla McMillan, raised in Boronia, is another AFLW draftee from the Outer East hoping to leave a mark on the competition in 2026 and beyond. McMillan, taken…

  • Recovery mission begins amid ongoing bushfire threat

    Recovery mission begins amid ongoing bushfire threat

    Recovery efforts are ongoing in a region completely decimated by raging bushfires, though for many, the future remains uncertain. Two major Victorian bushfires are expected to burn for weeks, including…

  • Cold ash falls on Buxton

    Cold ash falls on Buxton

    A resident in Buxton confirmed cold ash began to fall over the township early on Friday afternoon, but was hopeful it wouldn’t increase before the wind changed direction. At around…