The information sought through your editorial was not to bring about racism but to seek information of the whereabouts of the bell that was once situated at the segregated Moree Aboriginal Reserve School.

Past students of this school and Aboriginal community members do not dispute the bell coming from the fire station, only where it went after it was removed from their school.

It is hard to comprehend that during the fire brigade's history that was formed in 1902, it occupied several positions in Moree. 

The first near Fitzgerald's in Heber Street, secondly near the old council chambers where the first Moree water supply was in Frome Street, the third where Tait and Sons were in Balo Street to its present site.

One would assume that by 1962, the year the Moree East Primary School was built an antiquated hand pulled rope bell would have been replaced by more modern sirens and fire alarms long before then.

The saga of the bell has spread beyond Moree when a student, Marie Cutmore, also known as Polly, travelled to Moree from Sydney this week, adamant that the bell at her school on the reserve, when she being the last student, remembers being transferred, along with table, chairs, desks and the school bell on a lorry to the Moree East Primary School. 

Polly also has the names of all those in her class who also remembers the transition to MEPS.

Due to this current dispute relatives feel that because of the disrespect to their past Aunties, and current, that the envisaged memorial be placed at an Aboriginal organisation such as St Pius or Kiah Preschool, hopefully along with their school bell, across the road from where the Moree Aboriginal segregated school functioned for 38 years.

The memorial will be in likeness to the plaque at the baths re the Freedom Ride to remember our Aunties and their bringing about the end of segregation through education.

Noeline Briggs-Smith, OAM

Moree