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Mildura Weekly : Friday August 28 Vol 9 No 42
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14 NEWS MILDURA WEEKLY FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2015 EDUCATION IN THE SPOTLIGHT THE State primary schools at Euston, NSW, and Nangiloc in Victoria might be in dif- ferent States and separated by the mighty Murray River, but they share a rich history, and a deep commitment to edu- cation. And both are, separately but only a few days apart, about to host special events – 150th anniversary celebra- tions at Euston (September 11/12), and a community expo family fun and aware- ness day at Nangiloc (Sep- tember 16). The Victorian school is actually a composite cen- tre of learning, merged with Colignan not so many years ago to become the Nangiloc- Colignan and District Prima- ry School. In its heyday the school boasted as many as 65 pupils. It’s down to 17 at the mo- ment, hugely under-utilised, and the school sees the Expo as one way of attracting more families (and their kids) to this vibrant river community. School principal Claire Johnstone believes her school’s motto of ‘creat- ing lifelong learners’ fits in well with the Expo theme of ‘Our Heritage, Our History, Our Community.’ “Heritage is important in understanding the story of Nangiloc and district, its his- tory, identity and its people,” she says. “It presents itself in many ways - landmarks, plac- es and views, and the stories associated with them. “As a community, we share the responsibility to identify with them, and pass them on to the next genera- tion.” The original Nangiloc school opened in 1924 with 15 students. The need for education saw an extra class- room in 1963 to cater for in- creasing numbers. A school residence was built in 1964, and a swimming pool added in 1969. The Colignan school a bit further down Kulkyne Way opened in 1927 (in a com- munity hall), closed a year later, and re-opened in 1932 in an abandoned house rent- ed to the Education Depart- ment. In 1947, The Boonoonar school building was moved to the Colignan Reserve, and in 1968 was demolished and a school building erected. It served the Colignan com- munity until 1993, when it merged with Nangiloc, and its buildings re-located to the Nangiloc site. Claire said the school’s history, with photographs, will be on public display for the Wednesday, September 16 open day, with activities from 9.30am to include vari- ous displays by the pupils, maths, literacy, art and sci- This is a tale of two schools, one on either side of the border, but sharing similar values in educating our children, giving lessons in life as well as in an academic sense. One is relatively ‘new,’ opening in 1924, the other dates back to Burke and Wills days. The Mildura Weekly’s ALAN ERSKINE reports on... Schools that have become a class act ence works, book display and sales, various athletics events, and a big finish by way of a Billy Cart Derby. Morning tea and a barbecue lunch will be available. Claire told a recent com- munity-based meeting that most people would be aware that the local school was going through a challeng- ing time, and it was times like these when support was needed from the wider com- munity. “We need our school to thrive so our community thrives,” she said. “We want to be known as the com- munity school. We have so much to offer, but our fu- ture depends entirely on the whole community. “We extend an invitation to the whole community to come to our Expo and see what we offer. To parents who have school-age chil- dren and children beginning school in 2016, we especially invite you to our school. “We acknowledge that parents have the right to send their children to the school they wish, but be- fore you make the deci- sion on where to send your child next year, come to see what the Nangiloc-Colignan school can offer your family, so your decision is made on firsthand information. “Our focus is on devel- oping life-long, successful learners who make a positive and meaningful contribu- tion to the world in which we live. We are a small rural school, but we have a culture of positive student attitudes, excellent academic achieve- ment and excellent student attendance. “Our students have a strong sense of belonging and many extra-curricular activities.” Among the Nangiloc suc- cess stories have been Alyssa Stewart, a mining engineer who has worked as a con- sultant in South America, New Zealand and the Soviet Union, and Rob Keens, a se- nior project engineer who has worked on landmark projects such as Southern Cross Station, Eastlink and the Regional Rail Link, and who recently re-located back to Nangiloc to work on the family farms. Claire said it was hard to put a finger on declining school-age numbers, but contributing factors includ- ed young people moving off the farm and onto higher education, and a change in farm work practices where backpackers often replace itinerant working families. “This is a wonderful community, quiet and safe and not far from all major facilities, and it would be great if more young families opted to move out here for a lifestyle change,” she said. “There are even vacant hous- es they can move straight into. “We are very proud of our school, and our stu- dents. They are resilient and independent, they run our tuck shop, and have used local produce for the highly- successful orange crush ‘Slur- peez’ project. “We are looking forward to welcoming families, past, present and hopefully future, to the September 16 open day expo.” • Welcome to the Nangiloc/ Colignan school Phone 5022 7227 227 Tenth St Mildura OPEN 10am FATHER’S DAY is just a week away don’t miss out on limited stock *Providing you have already served your waiting periods, are within your annual limit and you hold an eligible level of cover. *Providing you have already served your waiting periods, are within your annual limit and you hold an eligible level of cover. No Gap Preventative Dental SURGERY MILDURA 155 Langtree Avenue PHONE 5022 2933 www.tankarddental.com.au ROBINVALE Ph: 5026 3536 OUYEN Ph: 5092 1121 BERRI Ph: 08 8582 2796 Preventative dental services are: • Consultations • Fissure Sealants • Scale and Clean • X-Rays with Mildura Health Fund*
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