History

In January 1950 the first Community Kindergarten to be established in the Wynnum area was formed. Called the Wynnum District Kindergarten, its first classes were held in the Lodge room of the Municipal Library Hall. Over the next six years the kindergarten occupied three different premises. In July 1958 the Kindergarten satisfied the high standards set by the Creche and Kindergarten Association of Queensland and was accepted as an Affiliate. It has continued to be affiliated since that time.

In 1962, the essentially defunct Wynnum Gordon Club, a youth club promoting the mental and physical development of its (male) members, donated its property in Florence Street and its residue of funds to the Wynnum District Kindergarten with the condition that the name be changed to The General Gordon Memorial Kindergarten.

On May 23, 1964, after years of hard work by the Mothers Auxiliary, the new permanent home for the Kindergarten was officially opened by Lady May Abel Smith, wife of the then Governor of Queensland. The name was further changed in 1974 to the Wynnum General Gordon Community Pre-school and Kindergarten Association Incorporated. Miss Ruth Madge, the former Kindergarten teacher at the Moreton Bay Girl's School, was the first Director of the Wynnum District Kindergarten, a position she held for 14 years. The Centre’s Ruth Madge Cottage is named in her honour. Further information on General Gordon and Miss Madge can be found in the Resource Room. In 2000, to celebrate fifty years of providing early childhood education in the bayside area, the wife of the current Governor, Mrs Barbara Arnison, attended the Commemorative Open Day to replicate the celebrations of 1964.

Our Centre has maintained long standing staff. Mrs Sonja Van Mastrigt retired in 1995 after 23 years of association with our Centre. Noreen Soderblom (Miss Noreen) had a highly valued association as an assistant and volunteer worker and retired in 1994 after 37 years of service. Cathy Lawrence resigned in 1999, after 11 years as Teacher and Director at Wynnum General Gordon. Mrs Jan Collingwood and Mrs Pat Smith retired in 2003, both having been Assistants here for over 20 years. The current staff strive to provide the high quality educational programme for which the centre is renowned.