July 1, 2015
Wheatlands State School got a $5000 bonus to finish the financial year on Tuesday.
South Burnett Mayor Wayne Kratzmann handed the school a cheque from the Council to help pay for their new playground equipment.
Ironically, the money had originally been set aside in last year’s Budget to purchase a donga (a transportable building) the school also wanted.
But the way events had played out, the school had already acquired a donga and moved on to the next thing on its “To Do” list by the time the grant was approved.
Mayor Kratzmann said the school originally approached Council in June last year seeking help to get a donga, and within a few months Council located a surplus one at Wondai.
But when word got out, other local groups soon put up their hands for it.
“As it turned out, when we got to look at it the donga was a bit beaten up and probably wouldn’t have suited the school’s requirements anyway,” the Mayor said.
“But in the meantime, the school sourced one elsewhere and went on to the next thing they wanted, which was new playground equipment.”
The Mayor said he understood Wheatlands P&C had done a lot of fund-raising towards their projects.
And since the original $5000 funding had been approved in the Budget, he saw no reason why Council shouldn’t assist them anyway, even if the target of the funding had altered.
“Our region’s small schools do an incredible job, and so do the parents who do all the fundraising,” he said.
“Their projects are designed to make their schools better places.
“We’re happy to help them out when we can.”
