Dave Tollner (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I rise to talk about the achievements of a Christian school in Darwin, working together with their local community and this government. They are maximising benefits from a small amount of government funding not only to construct a new facility but also to further their students’ educational experience.

During 2005 the Marrara Christian School community, under the direction of Principal John Metcalfe, built a large courtyard in front of the school library with the guidance and assistance of professionals. The project was partially funded by a grant of $92,500 from the Commonwealth government, through the Northern Territory Block Grant Authority. The rest of the funds came from the school itself.

Mr Richard Hart, Marrara’s design and technology teacher, coordinated the project. Students from senior technology classes assisted in this ‘real life’ project and were challenged by the logistics of moving and positioning large amounts of heavy materials. This was very different from the small, light projects normally undertaken in schools. The project consisted of paving, construction of raised gardens, verandas on three sides and the erection of a large sail-shade area. Students, parents and staff were involved in all aspects of the project except for the fabrication of the shade cover. Students experienced the difficulty of using a gantry to position heavy veranda frames into the right holes at the right angle and welding them in situ.

The school council supported this project even though it took 14 months to complete, during which two cyclones and a long wet season slowed the work. They believed the benefit to the students and community made the long time frame very worth while. The council consists of Neil Wright, the chairman; Narelle Campbell; James Cox; Richard Exley; Herman Nyhuis; Robert Jackson; and staff representative Lyne Hansen.

A new project designed to increase students’ access to ‘real life’ work situations has grown out of the training success of the library courtyard. Marrara Christian School is now running a commercial wall frame fabrication workshop, where students have the opportunity to gain their Certificate II in construction by working one day a week at the on-site workshop. It appears that the project is going to be a commercial and educational success. St John’s College Darwin and Woolaning Homeland Christian School are already working with Marrara Christian School to provide their students with the same experience. Nhulunbuy High School has also expressed an interest in the fabrication facility.

Some people played a significant role in the library courtyard project. The school is grateful to the NTBGA for the flexibility it showed in allowing the project to be community based. Mr Greg O’Mullane, the BGA executive officer, has been supportive of the school’s work. The Marrara Christian School Council and Principal, John Metcalfe, were committed to a long project in return for the training that the students received. The school business manager, Dave Arthur, played a research and coordinating role for resources and supervising tradesmen willing to work with parents and students. Staff members Mr Richard Hart, Wilf Lahring, Paul Huddleston, Ian Ward and Kevin Powell spent considerable time working with students and parents on the project. The male teaching staff donned gumboots very early one morning to lay concrete before the students arrived for lessons. The senior students from the woodwork, metal work and technology classes worked during lessons and in their own time to learn skills in construction, bricklaying, rendering, garden construction, paving and welding.

Two senior students, Daniel Vreeling and Mark Lahring, were responsible for the lion’s share of the welding on frames and construction of verandas and they worked on the project during weekends. Two working bees saw a strong turnout of parents and staff to complete the paving under the supervision of a professional paver, Mick Dryger. Mr Charlie Aggelopoulos, a parent from the school, gave his time and machinery to drill a large number of 2.4 metre deep holes to support the structural poles.

This school community demonstrates that the pioneering spirit that built the Northern Territory is far from over. The successful completion of the project shows what a committed community can do efficiently by using and value-adding to a finite amount of funds. This project not only completed more than the original concept in terms of construction but also developed young Australians’ skills and gave them invaluable work experience. (Time expired)