In 1965, Bowen State School proudly celebrated 100 years of education, marking the occasion with the unveiling of a Centenary Gate at the Poole Street entrance. This commemorative archway, constructed from galvanised pipe and wrought iron, bore the school’s name in bold metal lettering, with the years 1865–1965 featured on a pair of swinging gates below.
The Centenary Celebration, held on Saturday 4th September 1965, drew a large crowd of former students, teachers, families, and friends. According to a report in The Bowen Independent (Friday, 17 September 1965):
“Long before 2:30pm that Saturday afternoon, a big gathering of old and new pupils, teachers and friends assembled to see the Centenary Gates officially opened by Bowen’s Member, Dr Peter Delamonthe, OBE, MLA, Minister for Justice and Attorney-General...
It was splendid to see among those present such pioneer pupils as Mrs E. M. Boyce, daughter of a pioneer of the Normanby Goldfield… and Mr George Kent, credited with establishing Bowen’s tomato industry. His grandfather, Sandrock, had also introduced the Bowen Mango to the district. These two distinguished ex-students, representing the school’s earliest generations, were invited to cut the ribbons stretched across the gate before it was officially declared open.”
In later years, as the Poole Street linkway was resumed to provide additional play space and better access to the Poole Street Hall, the gate was dismantled. The arched frame was carefully preserved and re-mounted on the exterior wall of the old Head Teachers’ Room, where it remains visible today. The swinging gates, thought lost for years, were eventually discovered in a local garden shed and generously returned to the school. Today, they are proudly displayed in the school’s historical archives, a symbol of community pride and a tangible link to the past.