The planting of a pine tree at the restored Primrose House, Dolls Point, symbolises a significant turnaround for an iconic property.
St George residents rallied to save this historic house from destruction when it was listed for sale by NSW Health in 2016.
Scots College stepped in with an offer to resurrect the house and turn it into the Brighton Preparatory School, which opened with its first students in early February.
The building has now been returned to its former glory, but a pine tree that had watched over the house for nearly a century was diseased, dying and was ordered to be removed.
Each of the School’s foundation students helped plant the Norfolk Island Pine.
Historian and author Garry Darby researched the origins of the tree on behalf of the college.
“From the photographic evidence we have available it appears this particular pine was planted in the mid 1920s,” Dr Darby said.
“The team has worked wonders to restore and re-purpose this grand old house into a beautiful new school,” Scots principal, Ian Lambert added.
“It is fitting that we now replace the old tree that had served the house so well, with a new pine tree that will watch over Brighton Preparatory School and its students for the next century.”
Scots College was established in 1893 at Brighton-Le-Sands, making the college about 32 years old when the original pine was planted.
“This makes Brighton Preparatory School the newest independent school for boys in Sydney’s southern suburbs, and a school with 125 years of experience educating boys,” Dr Lambert said.
The new prep school will be opened on March 23. Tours of Primrose House will commence at 4pm.
