With its film unit, podcasting facilities and an edge-of the-city vibe, Kensington Public School has always been prepared to embrace the future.

But this week there was also a big nod to its storied past as the school celebrated its 125th anniversary.

What started out as “a little afternoon tea with a few people” according to principal Louise Stone, became a large celebration.

“We had 120 people that registered, with graduating students stretching back 80 years,” Ms Stone said.

“I like to drive things for the future, but it’s so nice to celebrate the past as well.”

Being almost on the doorstep of the fabled Randwick Racecourse and just a short bus ride to town, the humble school has played an important role in the city’s history.

One of its favourite sons, John Cann, recalled his start in athletics began at the school. Mr Cann would go on to represent Australia at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne where he was a top ten finisher in the decathlon.

Yet, his status as eastern suburbs royalty was built beyond the running track. Mr Cann took over the family reptile business in 1965 to become the legendary “Snake Man”, working with his brother every Sunday for the best part of half a century to put on a show at La Perouse.

It seems the finer points of running a business and learning a thing or two about the diet of reptiles were also honed at Kensington Public School.

“They (classmates) used to catch worms for me to eat. They would give me three pence each to eat a worm. It was good pocket money,” he said.

For sisters Helen (class of 1977) and Zoe Kymos (class of 1972), the school opened their eyes to a world of learning and some sibling rivalry.

With Zoe dux during her time, Helen said there was plenty of pressure on her.

“Every class I used to go to I wondered whether teachers were thinking ‘are you going to be as smart as your sister’. It kind of followed me all the way through!” Helen said.

Turns out it didn’t matter as much as Helen had feared. She managed to finish first every year, bar one.

Yvonne Williams started at Kensington Public School in 1939, a tumultuous time on the eve of World War II. Her father would sadly die in battle.

An accomplished seamstress, Yvonne was best friends with Poppy Pertsinidis – the mother of iconic Australian fashion designer Alex Perry.

Whether it was sport, canteen or stage productions, Yvonne spent plenty of time at the school after she left, to the point her daughter Diane assumed she was on the payroll.

“I thought she must have been getting paid or something because she was always here,” Diane said. She not only went to the school but became a teacher at Kensington.

Former principal Annie Jones (1992 to 2013) said the school was “always lovely, with a strong sense of community behind it”.

In a nod to the changing demographics of the area, Ms Jones introduced Mandarin as a language option in the 1990s and admired how the school nurtured many high achievers (including former Attorney General Lionel Murphy).

“Perhaps the band never did that well though,” she added with a laugh.