Education Minister for Queensland, Grace Grace visited Milpera State High School on 23 March to see the progress of repair works following the recent floods.
Minister Grace confirmed all six impacted schools – Milpera State High School, Aviation High, Rocklea State School, Milton State School, One Mile State School, and St Helens State School were hoping to reopen on site in time for the start of Term 2.
“The work being put into cleaning up these schools is phenomenal: I want to thank the staff, principals, and the entire school communities, as well as organisations like QBuild that are making a huge difference on the ground,” Ms Grace said.
“Here at Milpera, work is well underway. This includes painting and sheeting, installing new data racks, starting the electrical fit out and ordering new equipment, and cleaning and preparing the basketball court. However, there is still plenty of work to do. I know everyone involved will be working incredibly hard over the next few weeks to try and get students back on site for the start of Term 2.” continued Ms Grace.
“It’s not just about the repair work to get people back on site as soon as possible: we are looking to the future too. I’ve already met with my infrastructure team to see how the school buildings can be improved or replaced to better withstand future weather events.”
“Building back better will not only help students, teachers, and school communities; it will also support local jobs.”
Member for Miller, Mark Bailey said he was pleased the repairs were tracking well. “It’s great to see the community come together as we continue to recover from the floods, especially here at Milpera,” Mr Bailey said. “Our local area was one of the hardest hit, and yet we still see locals out helping each other every day.”
“Yeronga State High School has even taken in Milpera students as one of their own so they can continue learning, which is fantastic to see. I’ll continue to work closely with Principal Julie, Milpera parents and friends, and the broader community on our strong recovery.” said Mr Bailey.
Milpera Principal Julie Peel said she was grateful for the generosity of the community, and the hard work of QBuild and department staff in getting the school back up and running. “We work with newly arrived migrant and refugee background students, and lots of the students affectionately call Milpera State High School their first home in Australia,” Ms Peel said.
“It is a really special community and while the students are enjoying attending school at Yeronga, they are always excited to receive updates on how their school is being rebuilt.”
