IT'S tradition for departing year 6 students to give their school a gift, and the Rathmines Public School class of 2014 has given their school something it will use every day - a bell.
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But it's not just any bell, it's the school's original bell from when it was built in 1941.
Being over seven decades old, the bell had seen better days - it was covered in corrosion and the wooden pole it was on top of was rotten.
The year 6 students held a school fete and raised about $1650, which they used to restore and refurbish the bell.
The makeover included sanding the bell back to its original brass, changing the timber, and a repaint.
Assistant principal Matt Elston said the bell has been popular with everyone who have seen it.
"The Rathmines community is one where history is important, such as the former air force base, so this bell is a link to the school's past," he said.
The students got the chance to try out their new gift on the last day of school.
"It's tradition for all the leaving year 6 students to walk though a tunnel formed by all the other students and ring the bell."
