The Australian flag, which sits atop the school’s 1876 bell tower, was taken some time over the Christmas school holidays. 

“When we came back we noticed that the rope was loose and the flag was missing and so it then eventuated that someone had taken it,” principal Alan Kerr said. 

“We got another flag and it was reported to the police as a stolen item and then on January 29 it turned up in a plastic bag with a note inside.”

The note writer revealed that a friend had taken the flag while filled up on Christmas cheer and left it at their house. 

“...I believe it belongs to this school. Sorry for any inconvenience,” the note read. 

Mr Kerr said he was grateful for the note writer’s conscience. 

The flagpole is part of the school’s rich 140 year history. 

It was restored in 2014 after being taken down more than 60 years earlier. 

An inscription on the inside of the bell tower said the flag was removed on March 22, 1950, believed to have been due to rust. 

A new pole and flood lights were reinstalled in 2014 as part of the school’s efforts to highlight the heritage of the building. 

Mr Kerr said since the incident the pole and flag have been reinforced to stop anyone else tempted to take it.