Hall a temporary home for Bogong school

The school, which offers primary and secondary school students a wide range of outdoor and environmental education programs, has been looking for a new home after being evacuated from Bogong Village following the Bogong High Plains Road landslide.

Alpine Shire Council Director Assets Alan Rees said the school’s operations had been severely impacted by the landslide and subsequent road closure, and required a facility located within the Upper Kiewa Valley to base themselves within.

“The School has requested to use the Tawonga Memorial Hall for the next six months to reduce any further impact the road closure is having on their ability to operate as normal,” he said.

“While students won’t be sleeping overnight at the hall, they’ll be able to arrive on a Monday morning, meet their teachers, collect their outdoor kit and food, and head off into the bush.”

Campus Principal Roger Blackwell said the school will run their operations out of the Hall during daylight hours, with staff using it as their office base, a meeting space and a place to prep food.

“At present, our staff are working out of a mix of different buildings, their own houses and local parks,” he said.

“This arrangement helps our staff have a base, and we’re really appreciative of Alpine Shire Council and the Kiewa Valley community for being accommodating. 

“While we understand this will be disruptive in some regards, it’s fantastic that our community has assets like the Hall to use during times like this.”

Mr Rees said the Hall will still be available for bookings, with the school accommodating other user groups during their time there. 

“There will be minimal impact on other users during this time, and being able to accommodate both the school and the community groups that regularly utilise the hall is a fantastic outcome for all,” he said.