BYE BYE BIRDIE

Smuggled-in finch dies as prank goes awry

A TOOWOOMBA Grammar School senior will spend his Christmas holidays volunteerTGS ing with the RSPCA after a prank involving him and two other boys went wrong.

The Year 11 trio had smuggled four finches into a “prizegiving ceremony” at the school last week with the understood intention of releasing them during the event.

However one of the birds died before they could be released.

headmaster Peter Hauser confirmed the incident and said the school was looking into it.

THREE students at one of Toowoomba’s most prestigious schools will be disciplined after an end-of-year prank went awry last week.

The Toowoomba Grammar School Year 11 students had smuggled four finches into an award ceremony at the school with the understood intention of releasing them during the event.

The birds are believed to have been carried inside in the boys’ pockets.

However the apparent prank was derailed when one of the four tiny birds died.

Headmaster Peter Hauser confirmed the incident and said the school was looking into it.

He said the students would be disciplined through the school, and one of the boys will volunteer with the RSPCA over the upcoming school holidays.

“I can confirm three boys carried a small number of finches into a prize-giving ceremony,” Mr Hauser said.

It is understood the incident is under investigation by outside authorities, but it remained unclear what, if any, charges would be filed in relation to the apparent prank.

Mr Hauser said the end-ofyear prank was an isolated incident.

“It is an isolated event but certainly concerning,” he said. “It is quite rare.”

Mr Hauser said the school would co-operate with any authorities investigating the incident.