Former Makarora School students took a trip back in time when they returned to the school last week to open a time capsule they had filled back in 2000.

Eight of the 13 students who made up the school roll at the turn of the millennium made the trip for the time capsule opening, as well as the principal at the time, Sue McIntyre, the capsule’s inventor Clinton O’Brien, plus current staff and some interested locals.

The event was a chance to not only reconnect with old friends, colleagues and classmates, but also to reflect on how the school and community had changed - and in many ways stayed the same.

The class of 2025 said they enjoyed getting a taste of what life was like for school students all those years ago.

“It was fun seeing the beer cans that were in the capsule and the Wilkin River Jets prices and brochures,” nine-year-old Max said. 

“I learned that things are pretty similar with only 13 students in 2000 and in 2025 we have 10 students.”

Former and current Makarora School students, staff, and locals gathered to open the time capsule, which was buried in 2000 after being encased in corrugated iron and concrete.

The capsule also included photographs of each of the former students’ families, as well as a newspaper, postcards, school journals, a school t-shirt, and even some lollies.

Eight-year-old Frankie “enjoyed reading all the information the students put in the capsule about themselves and their families”.

Meanwhile 10-year-old Ana “liked looking at the photos of what Makarora looked like in 2000”. 

The Makarora School class of 2025 discovering what was inside the capsule.

Clinton said he and other community members had used a plumber’s tube for the capsule before encasing it in corrugated iron and concrete and burying it half a metre deep.

“The initial idea came from Devon Miller, the 2000 chairman of the Makarora community committee,” he said.

For six-year-old Mica, taking it apart was the most exciting part: “I liked the massive saw that they used to cut the concrete time-capsule.”

In 2000, concerns around the Y2K bug - which some feared could disrupt power, communications and fuel - added a sense of occasion to preserving a snapshot of the time. 

“We thought it would be interesting to put items in a capsule and look at them in 25 years,” Sue said.

Former principal Sue McIntyre looking at a well-preserved school journal.

What would today’s students put in a time capsule to open in another quarter of a century?

“A sprite can, a pump water bottle, a beer bottle and a flat rugby ball,” according to Max.

PHOTOS: Makarora School