There was lots of excitement when Princess Anne visited Sutherland Shire in 1979.
Officials said the Princess Royal, who was the president of the Save the Children, asked to see "a typical Australian school".
Bonnet Bay Public School, which had opened that year, was the choice.
School captains from 11 shire schools attended the event, which also attracted many parents and even a group of horseback riders.
"Princess Anne, elegant and poised in a white suit and polka-dot hat, smiled and waved to the crowd of about 100 who came to see her," the Leader reported.
Princess Anne was welcomed to the school by the Minister for Education Eric Bedford and principal Mr J Briggs.
She officially opened the school and was presented with a scrapbook containing pupils' thoughts about what a real princess was like.
Princess Anne spent about 45 minutes visiting classrooms and watching children at their studies.
The Leader's report said, "by the time she left, the 200 pupils had no doubt about how they felt about their royal visitor - they loved her".
LEADER FLASHBACK
Every Friday we delve into the Leader archives to embark on some time travel.
We will bring you photographs of a news event from 59 years of Leader news coverage that you may or may not recall.
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