Great news for Trinity Beach State School — after years of waiting, the school will finally be getting a brand-new fence.
For five years, nothing was done to address the serious safety concerns around the old, failing fence. The former government took no action, despite the risks to students and staff.
When I started, I could see straight away that this wasn’t just about a fence — it was about keeping children safe. The old fence left the school vulnerable: students were able to get out of the grounds, and vandals could easily get in. I spoke to the staff and P&C on several occasions about what was going on at the school. Kids jumping over the fence, intruders jumping in and vandalising the property, stealing school items, leaving rubbish all over the place.
Not only is this a huge danger but it is also demoralising for the school workers. Having to come to school and seeing that once again, the school has been vandalised and rubbish left on the school grounds for the kids to pick up.
Over the past 10 months, I have written to the Minister several times, continuing to raise these issues and calling for urgent action. The Minister will be the first to tell you that I have been a big pain in the bum! But this is something my community deserves and this is something I would never give up on.
And now, that persistence has paid off. The announcement of a new fence is a huge win for my staff, who have been fighting hard for this alongside me, the P&C, the school, and the whole community. This includes former Principal Dan Hollis (below) and current Principal Dr. Narinder Singh.
The new fence will:
- Keep students safe by ensuring children cannot leave the grounds
- Protect the school from vandalism and intruders
- Give peace of mind to families, staff, and the wider community
I will keep the community informed as more details about this project comes to light and, when that first panel is laid, I will be there, shovel in hand and cheering!
This shows what persistence can achieve — hard work really does pay off.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible. This is one of my proudest wins for our region with plenty more wins to come!
