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AAP
AAP
National
Stephanie Gardiner

The 'invisible' magic of Australia's 2100 small schools

Zara Lowien's son Patrick is one of 24 students at the Bellata Public School in regional NSW. (HANDOUT/ZARA LOWIEN GROUP)

When severe drought turned farmland to dust, the children at Bellata Public School could escape to an oasis under the lilac haze of a jacaranda tree.

The school community in the northern NSW village banded together during the years of devastating dry to carefully preserve a patch of grass for the students in the playground.

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