May 21, 2015
School chaplains across the South Burnett have been celebrating Chappy Week with various activities at their schools and in the community.
in Kingaroy, a special fundraising dinner was held at the Pioneer Lodge Motel on Thursday night organised by the Kingaroy State School chaplaincy committee.
The special guest speaker was Rev Ian Bailey, from St Michael and All Angels Anglican Church.
Kingaroy State School chaplain Vic Chapman is a busy man … he is also responsible for Proston and Windera State Schools, and visits Cloyna State School (unofficially).
Also present at the dinner was Kingaroy State High School’s new chaplain Liz Lowther who started at the school in mid-February. It is her first posting as a chaplain.
Vic, in comparison, has been a chaplain in the local area for more than six years.
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A highlight of the Chappy Week will be “My Chappy” Day happening on Saturday (May 23) at the Kingaroy McDonald’s Family Restaurant from 11:00am to 2:00pm.
School chaplains will be flipping burgers, cleaning tables and helping out in the drive-thru. And there’ll also be face-painting for the children.
A percentage of the takings during the “My Chappy” hours at McDonalds will be donated to the chaplaincy programs in Kingaroy.
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The South Burnett has six “chappies” working in State schools:
- Alexia Back – Taabinga State School
- Vic Chapman – Kingaroy, Proston and Windera State Schools
- Liz Lowther – Kingaroy State High School
- Terrence Barton – Murgon and Cherbourg State Schools
- Maree Barton – Murgon State High School
- Janelle Allen – Wondai P-9
Many of these chaplains also visit some of the other smaller schools in the region.
Chappy Week is held annually in about 800 schools across Queensland to celebrate and raise awareness about the work school chaplains undertake within their communities.
It is also a special time for Scripture Union Queensland, which employs more than 600 chaplains to cover these schools, which is celebrating running school chaplaincy programs in Queensland for 25 years.
