Sod finally turned on school site | Ipswich News | Local News in Ipswich
Sod finally turned on school site
AMBERLEY State School students and their parents snatched a glimpse of their new school site at Yamanto last Friday when the official sod-turning took place.
The school's P&C and supporters secured $26.8 million from the Federal Government to build the new school, which will replace Amberley's primary school when it closes at the end of this year to make way for the RAAF Amberley Base expansion.
Amberley P&C president Yvette Wright said she had been invited to the sod-turning the night before the ceremony.
“We had already arranged to have a celebration with the children. It is a hard-hat area and not a place we can take the children,” she said.
“We're just happy to see the site's moving ahead.
“We've got 230 children who'll come across to this site, and there's a capacity for 570.
“The school raised that money (to build the new school).
“We wanted our children and their friendships and relationships, and the culture of a 145-year-old school to survive.”
One parent outside the boundary fence complained that Amberley parents and students had been “locked out” of the sod-turning, a positive PR exercise.
Ms Nolan said it was “untrue” to claim that people had been excluded from the sod-turning ceremony.
“It is absolutely normal practice for a sod-turning to be a small private event,” she said.
“This is a work site - kids should be in school, not wandering around in an active construction site. It's not a place for children.
“It was never intended that this sod-turning would ever be a community event. Indeed sod-turnings never are.”
Ms Nolan said the Yamanto school on Deebing Creek Road would be open for the start of the 2010 term.
She reiterated that the school site - criticised for its flooding and traffic problems - was right.
“We chose this site because the majority of the existing Amberley school community live closer to here than they do to Willowbank, and because this is a growing community,” she said.
“The State Government has obviously taken some heat around that, but I am utterly confident that we are building a school which will be most convenient for the majority of the existing school community, and which will be a world-class facility.
“Some water flows over this site so it's been necessary to design a drain to flow that water around the site.
“The traffic issue is being dealt with.” An announcement on the name of the new school is expected this week.
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Posted by kylieJ from Basin Pocket, Queensland
13 July 2009 6:56 p.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
Yes Rachel, my kids should have been in school given it was school holidays.
Why would we (the Amberley School community) want to be included given how hard the Amberley Community worked for the money. Please Rachel, isn't it about time you decided to work with the community not antagonise us. We now want to celebrate the new Amberley State School, and not need to fight to do so. Inviting the community, particularly the school captains to the sod turning would have been a good start
Posted by bekkassambos from Bremer, Queensland
13 July 2009 8:14 p.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
I am a resident of Deebing Creek Road. I am not bothered by the school being located on our street, as in the future my children will attend the school. What I am hoping is that something is done about the traffic that it will encure having the school there. Last Friday when they had the gathering for the Sod turning I think those whom all attended need to have concideration for the families in the area. The way you were parked on both sides of the road was very unsafe for those on the side of the road and the drivers of the cars and caused a traffic hazard. Please next time you all decide to come to the location of the school, park up the local ajoining streets, its just not safe for you or for us and our families.
Posted by thedaily_murph from Flinders View, Queensland
13 July 2009 9:42 p.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
The day that the sod turning ceremony was on, was in the school holidays. Both students and parents (who were outside the fence, and not 'running around a construction site') were entitled to be where they were, and in fact, she offered for some of them to don hard hats to participate in her 'private' ceremony.
Posted by anneparker from Amberley, Queensland
14 July 2009 9:12 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
Another great comment Nolan. You really like to let people know how smart you really are. You’re building a school and you don’t even know when the school holidays are on.
And your comment that the majority of Amberley state school children don’t live in Willowbank, is frankly, a complete farce. Building the school in Willowbank would have ensured that you won’t have a lot of abuse coming your way when the school is flooded, bus tickets become quite expensive, children can’t go to school, they become under educated from being in overcrowded class rooms and other schools close and those children try and get into this new school.
You have not compensated these families in any way for their work to try and get a new school. Without them, it would have been a lot harder for you. And what have you done for them? You didn’t even invite the school captains or the hard working parents and families to the sod-turning.