Dispute closes school Cops called in for row between college and landowners

A BOARDING school at a Top End outstation has shut its doors amid an astonishing stoush between the school’s management and the owners of the land on which is sits.

The relationship between Northern Territory Christian Schools and Woolaning Community Incorporated deteriorated to the point that the landlords were banned by police from accessing the property. Woolaning Homeland Christian College sent a letter to the parents of its 60 students announcing the closure.

“The partnership with WCI has weakened in recent years,” the letter read.

The letter said Territory and Federal funding had failed to keep pace with the costs of running indigenous boarding schools. Year 12 classes will continue to run until the end of the school year.

One of the property’s owners, Sonya Petherick, and another woman will face court next month on charges related to the alleged vandalism of the Woolaning Homeland Christian College store.

Bail conditions prohibit her from entering school grounds.

Ms Petherick said she and other members of Woolaning corporation were frustrated after years of run-ins with school management.

The college is an indigenous boarding school near Litchfield National Park.

Community members said the school had frozen out local students in favour of boarders.

Ms Petherick said WCI members felt they had been excluded from the school’s operation.

The Territory Government had handed over $600,000 to keep the school running over the past three years.

A small, single-teacher gov- ernment school at Woolaning only caters for students to Grade 6, and had 13 students enrolled as of Term 2.

Education Minister Eva Lawler said it was “disappointing” to see the school close, but that her department would make efforts to minimise disruption to students.

“Community support is so important in remote schools, and this was not the case in this situation,” she said.