Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the unveiling of a commemorative plaque for the old Walpeup Primary School. The community came together to remember life and schooling in Walpeup over 100 years. The school originally opened in 1912, serving the community of dryland farmers and their families. As farms amalgamate and utilise larger machinery with increased output, less manpower is required. The natural effect of this is that people have moved away from many of our smaller towns, such as Walpeup, and there has been a natural attrition rate in student numbers at our small schools. In 2015, 100 years after Walpeup Primary School opened and with only six students remaining in the school, the Victorian government made a decision to de-staff the school and move the students to the Underbool school, 15 minutes away.

One of the locals, Gwen John, who will turn 90 next month, was at Walpeup on the commemoration day. Gwen is a treasure to her community and remains committed to volunteering at Ouyen Preschool on weekdays, reading to the children. When I visited the preschool last month for Early Learning Matters Week, it was heartwarming to see how much the children love their time with Gwen. It is volunteers such as Gwen who make Mallee a great place to live.