Tongala Primary School’s connection with its community is about to be stepped up through a sustainability project that has revived the once “wasteland”, which started out as a school environmental project.
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A whole-of-school commitment to the development of half a dozen projects in the expansive fenced-off space that is at the heart of the student-led umbrella project will eventually see an Indigenous garden, a compost and recycling space, a mud kitchen, hot houses and combat course opened to the wider community.
When principal Rob Hogan arrived at the school more than five years ago the space had been through two incarnations — the first as the Nestle Environmental Learning Centre and the second as the Barry Cooke Environmental Block.
Mr Hogan expects the third attempt to create a long-lasting legacy that the school can share with its community to stand the test of time, but is in no hurry to complete the project.
“Our plan is to keep creating projects and, hopefully, never totally finish the area,” Mr Hogan said.
While the area is fenced off now, the long-term goal is to share a community garden and allow the community to use the imaginative combat course, take in the history of the Indigenous sensory garden and enjoy the other projects the school is developing.
The space, which was once home to a few cows, will have much more to offer all involved in the not-too-distant future.
The project has been mostly self funded by the school, although a Junior Landcare Grant of $5000 was a welcome injection for the securing of essential products.
Seating for the Indigenous sensory garden is in place, some through naturally tree stumps and plans for a dry creek bed to run through the environmental area are being developed.
The garden and its expansion are being designed in consultation with the Koorie community, through Njernda.
A father of three former students, also a Koorie education officer in the area, Wayne Cowley is assisting and renowned Indigenous artist Neva Atkinson will work with students to paint Totem at the entrance to the garden.
An official opening is planned for later in the year.
Tongala primary’s Eco Warriors, a student leadership group, has rebuilt the greenhouse and started to plant seedlings.
Garden beds alongside the hot houses have been re-designed to enable better irrigation and a three-bay compost system accompanies them and continues the sustainability theme.
“We have a big recycling focus to fit with the sustainability program,” Mr Hogan said.
“We have been lucky to work with different groups, including the Campaspe Shire to develop the concepts now in place.”
The school has been recognised for its ingenuity, having made the final of a Shire of Campaspe Sustainability program for effective use of space.
Mr Hogan said the school was lucky to have Brett Radley, a school support officer, who did much of the hands-on work with yers 5 and 6 students.
There are 16 students who have been split up into groups of four and will share a term each to work closely in further developing the site with Mr Radley.
“Brett runs the hands-on learning, does our school maintenance with the kids, along with Drumbeat program and looks after our school mascot, Ronny the Turtle,” Mr Hogan said.
He said staff were also involved in the CUST program (Community Understanding and Safety Training), which provided more information about the role teachers played in educating students about Indigenous culture.
The expansive grounds of Tongala Primary School allow for a potential expansion of the area to continue future environmental study projects.
“I’ve never seen a school this big for this many students. Our aim is to make the most of the space,” Mr Hogan said.
“The grand plan is that the fences will come down and it will become a community space. Echuca Neighbourhood House is a great example of what can be achieved.”
Mr Hogan envisages partnerships with the wider community occurring through the neighbouring aged-care facility, kindergarten and community groups.
For the more physically minded individuals, along with the fitness course, which is already on the school grounds, a 12-obstacle combat course has been established with the leadership of Kyabram P-12’s VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) team.
“Lots of of senior students didn’t necessarily know VCAL was available,” Mr Hogan said.
“It is a program that allows kids with different learning needs to take a different path.
“The course they have built is amazing and just needs to be bordered up and have soft fall placed underneath.”
It was installed at the end of last year, designed by students from both schools and will soon be available for use.
“Like everything else in this area it is a great use of the space and something both schools can be proud of,” Mr Hogan said.
He said community members wanting to get a closer look at the projects under construction, or nearing completion, should keep an eye on school newsletters and the Facebook site for launch dates and more information.
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