Mitchell's Plain: Celebrating 50 years of educational growth

The relocation of families to the sprawling suburb of Mitchell’s Plain in 1976 brought with it a growing need for schools in the area.

- ALICIA ENGLISH

April 2026 will mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first families in the area.

Westridge pensioner Brenda Barnes, 69, relocated with her family to Westridge from Kewtown in 1976 when she was 20 years old.

“I moved into the area with my parents and two younger siblings on June 18, and turned 21 a few months later.

“My younger brother started school at Mitchell’s Plain Primary on October 5, 1976, when the school opened its doors for the first time,” she said.

Westridge resident Reneé Johns, 54, remembers her early years in Mitchell's Plain very well.

Ms Johns, who lives in her family home with her 76-year-old mother, moved to the area with her parents and two sisters in 1976.

“We moved to Westridge from Bridgetown on July 19, 1976. I was five, turning six years old.