TRADITIONAL BLESSING HAILED AS CLASS ACT

AMULTIMILLIONDOLLAR facility at one of the Gold Coast’s largest schools will be blessed in a bid to cleanse it of spirits — a first for the educator.

In a unique celebration of the new building Helensvale State High School will welcome the indigenous community to the new three storey $14.7 million education complex dubbed Karangbah.

In a first of its kind celebration for the school, fire alarms in the new facility will be disarmed to make way for a traditional smoking ceremony lead by Luther Cora Yugambeh Traditional custodian.

Deputy Principal Janelle Dickman said the ceremony at the ultra modern facility which will take place in the coming weeks, was a way for the community to embrace traditional owners of the area.

“This has never been done before, openings are usually cutting a ribbon we wanted to start off with a cultural blessing to celebrate that connection.”

“We have arranged for the fire services to turn off the alarms so the building can be properly blessed.

Karangbah which was named in collaboration with the Yugambeh Museum, is interpreted by the school to mean owl place, to signify a place of learning.

The centre which holds 12 classrooms, staffrooms, flexible learning spaces, kitchenettes, a full commercial kitchen and meeting rooms has been used since the beginning of this year but has not yet received any official opening.

The building did not increase the capacity of the already booming school for its near limit population of 2600.

Martin Ermer of the Dreamworld Corroboree said the more schools were grasping the significance of incorporating the local culture in the history of their schools.

“In my time there has only been one other school open a classroom with a smoking ceremony, so it is an incredible tradition to have.

“Wouldn't it be wonderful, in terms of the purest sense of reconciliation that indigenous people and non indigenous people engage in meaningful traditions in this way.

“This is what Helensvale State High are doing is quite a respectful way.”

The school is one of many in the booming northern suburbs who has added additional classrooms or facilities to meet demand.

Two new high schools at Coomera and Pimpama are planned for the region in the next few years.