Charlotte Varcoe
MORE community hubs hosted at schools such as Nangwarry Primary School are on a local member of Parliament’s radar.
Member for MacKillop Nick McBride met with the small primary school, which had just 17 full time enrolments recorded on the myschools website last year.
Mr McBride said the visit to the school highlighted a lack of community support for small towns such as Nangwarry and flagged the concept of a community hub being built on the premises.
He said it would be similar to hubs in Mount Gambier/Berrin such as at primary schools including Mulga Street, North Primary and Melaleuca.
“We are looking at all opportunities around Nangwarry Primary School and the way we can move forward from here,” Mr McBride said.
“There has been a suggestion that we perhaps look for greater interaction with the school and the community and look towards the community hub model.”
He said he would find out what would be allowed on the school site and whether there were potential for a community hub to be implemented on the school property.
“My office is very supportive of the idea of community hubs and what that means for MacKillop in the future,” Mr McBride said.
“This is about picking up on health outcomes, it is consulting and talking about interaction with families and people where children can also pick up on education and training and other essential services where people are getting basic rights.”
He said community hubs have played important roles throughout the region and Australia in many towns and he believed Nangwarry would be a good town for the model.
“Nangwarry Primary School has about 18 enrolments at the moment and it would be better to grow those numbers so a greater connection to the community will help as I do not want to see this school get less numbers and look less sustainable,” Mr McBride said.
He said with the closure of shops, libraries and other services in Nangwarry, a community hub would encourage parents to enrol in the local school by building greater connections.
“We only have one community hub in MacKillop and that is in Tailem Bend so after seeing how it works there I think we should look at where and how that works in other places such as Nangwarry and Millicent,” Mr McBride said.
“I have had great discussions with Newbery Park Primary School about the support and lack of support for parents which results in the consequence of parents who are struggling and the children then feel that lack of support themselves.”
Pastoral school worker and charity 4 Reasons Why founder Trudi Shelton supported further community hubs throughout the region.
Ms Shelton – who works at Mulga Street and North Primary – said community hubs were focused on building positive and good relationships with parents and caregivers.
“It is building a trust that has not existed before,” Ms Shelton said.
“There has been a bit of a divide between parents and caregivers and the school community and expectations but the hub is more of an enterprise as well as relieving some financial burden from them as well.”
She said as well as bridging the gap between parents and schools, the hubs also provided information on support services in the region.
“By visiting and running an activity and engaging these parents and caregivers, we are breaking down those barriers,” Ms Shelton said.
“What these hubs provide is a bridge between services and agencies and all sorts of help and support for parents and caregivers in the school community.
“We are finding we are having success with that so it is really focused on building trusting relationships and positive relationships as well as providing resources.”
Ms Shelton said she believed many smaller communities such as Nangwarry were left out of the community support circle and having a hub in the town would be beneficial.
“I know there is a community of services, businesses and agencies where, if they knew the hubs were getting up and running, would do their best to support them in anyway they could,” she said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of our #Savesoutheastschools campaign. Let us know what issues your school is facing by using the hashtag, or email us on editorial@tbwtoday.com.au
