October 24, 2024
Kingaroy businesspeople had a unique opportunity on Tuesday night to inspect the new senior precinct at St John’s Lutheran School.
The school hosted the Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s October meet’n’greet in the covered area at the heart of the new building.
Karyn Bjelke-Petersen – who is retiring as school principal this year – said work to construct the new classrooms and workspaces began in May last year, with the students moving in this July.
She said the school had enjoyed solid growth in enrolment numbers recently with both new families moving into the area and people moving back to be close to other family members.
Darren Schmidt, the school’s strategic development officer, said the senior precinct was Karyn’s vision that she made happen, and although she was retiring as principal she was not retiring from working at the school.
He said St John’s was aiming to “change the structure” of education in the South Burnett so families would no longer be thinking about sending their children to schools in Toowoomba or Brisbane.
The school now has more than 100 staff, and has deliberately crafted the new building in a “corporate style” so it could also be used outside of school hours to host conferences or other activities.
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The second guest speaker on the night was Kris Robinson, the business development manager at Regional Housing Limited which has an office at the South Burnett Enterprise Centre in Kingaroy.
The not-for-profit company offers eligible community members affordable housing via various programs, including community and social housing, and has recently finished a development in Kingaroy, with more on the drawing board.
The group’s portfolio includes properties in the South Burnett, Fraser Coast and Bundaberg regions which it has developed in partnership with government, community and industry partners.
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The KCCI’s annual general meeting will be held on November 26, with the venue to be advised.
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