The theme was green and the students arrived in St Patrick’s Day attire for a day of activities, games and craft with their younger peers from the St Edward’s infants campus after a morning mass.

But it wasn’t all fun and games for the little ones with gold-coin donations from the dress-up day raised to help out less fortunate communities across the world. 

“St Patrick’s Day is one of the main ways we fundraise for Project Compassion,” teacher Sally Clarke said.

“We have been fundraising throughout Lent and, for St Patrick’s Day, the children were asked to bring a gold coin for the privilege of coming to school out of uniform.

“They looked great. We had some leprechauns out there in the playground with big hats, bow ties and glasses – they really got ito the spirit of St Patrick’s Day.”

The students were also treated to a visit from Eamon (an Irishman) from Caritas, who spoke about where the money raised by St Edward’s Primary School would go to, including less fortunate communities in Australia, Fiji, Peru and Nepal.

It wasn’t only the littlies getting into the Irish spirit either, with the Kootingal Bowling Club also hosting a Crazy Day St Patrick’s bingo extravaganza where green was definitely the colour of choice.

Back in Tamworth, over at Westdale, residents were invited to a barbecue by the Older Men, New Ideas (OMNI) Men’s Shed who are reinvigorating a memorial park in Flinders St.

To get the community involved and interested in the project, the group held a St Patrick’s Day-themed barbecue yesterday and planted 10 new trees in the park.