December 3, 2025
A very generous bequest by former Kingaroy resident Des Rowe has allowed the Kingaroy State High School to create a bright, modern canteen for students.
Mr Rowe, who died in 2018 aged 91, left bequests to a number of organisations including the KSHS.
He had supported the school in many ways after he retired to Kingaroy following a long teaching career at Childers, Merlwood and Brisbane.
P&C president Lois Blanch said Mr Rowe had “quietly shaped many lives” through his love of language and music and had left behind a legacy of “thoughtfulness, generosity and quiet strength”.
She said the new canteen was not just a place to grab lunch, it was a “hub of connection” and a source of income to support student programs, well-being initiatives and other school improvements.
Former P&C representatives and canteen volunteers attended the opening along with former principal David Ballin, who had been a friend of Mr Rowe.
Mr Ballin said Mr Rowe was a special person who had lived a frugal life and left a great legacy.
A statement from KSHS principal David Thomson, who could not attend due to illness in the family, acknowledged the generous donation by Mr Rowe as well as the tireless efforts of Mrs Blanch and the school’s business manager Gabby Flanigan to bring the project to fruition.
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington also praised Mrs Blanch as well as the “incredibly generous” donation from Mr Rowe.
Mrs Frecklington and Mrs Blanch officially cut the ribbon to open the canteen.
