Interesting to read social media posts and press articles about the future of Mooroopna, McGuire and Wanganui Secondary Schools when the Greater Shepparton Secondary College is established as the single secondary super school for our area.
Being interested in this issue myself and concerned about the lack of a technical school in the Shepparton municipality, I offer my comments to the debate.
I have read that Wanganui School cannot be demolished for a housing development as it is situated on Council flood overlay mapping,
This brings to mind the public land grab at neighbouring Parkside Gardens, formerly the much-valued International Village 1974 – 2006. As one of the committee members driving the huge campaign (1999-2005) to retain the site, just one of the arguments put forward to planners at the Greater Shepparton City Council was the 1993 flooding in the surrounding area, complete with impact photos to support our case. This argument was overturned by the authorities. In the end and at huge cost, Greater Shepparton City Council and the State Government business arm, VicUrban, demolished the beautiful unique place to build a proposed 130 houses. Council envisaged that a $1million dollar deal would be gained out of this.
Over the past 14 years we have seen Parkside Gardens estate land prices, advertised by many of the real Estate agents for VicUrban, plummet to fire sale levels as people were not buying blocks as the Council/VicUrban project had planned. More recently I have heard that Council now has sole ownership of the estate. One could describe this as a failed project, a very sad outcome for the thousands of people who actively protested.
It is my opinion that Wanganui and/or McGuire schools should be retained and refurbished to provide major technical school training opportunity so desperately needed in our area.
The training of apprentices should also be considered within this plan as the Wanganui Homestead campus cannot cater for more trade skills teaching as the buildings are outdated. Staff and apprentices deserve modernised infrastructure and room to expand for more trainees.
Interested community leaders, stakeholders and aspiring candidates for the 2020 Council election may take up the challenge to lobby the State Government to set the wheels in motion.
Patricia Moran
Shepparton
