Sign off for school

The final dotted line to be signed to give the Hill End community permanent use of the former school site and buildings was inked in last week.

State Planning Minister Richard Wynne said he had cleared the property’s continued public use be approving a zoning amendment to the Baw Baw Shire planning scheme.

The news capped off a good week for Hill End Community Inc that late last year won a 15month struggle to stop government plans to offer the former school and buildings for private sale and last January signed a 10-year lease with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.

Baw Baw Shire council at its meeting on Monday of last week included the old school site in its list of recreation reserve and public hall maintenance allocations for the first time.

HECI will now receive $3262 from the shire towards the facilty’s ongoing maintenance in the current financial year.

Since it first used the redundant school for community meetings, socials and events more than a decade ago HECI had borne maintenance costs and contents and public liability insurances.

The property includes the former Hill End school building, the old Fumina primary school that was relocated there in 1961 after it had closed and a house that was previously a residence for the Hill End teacher.

During a determined lobbying campaign after learning the government was moving to sell the property HECI garnered rare political bipartisanship across Gippsland with Upper House Members of Parliament Harriet Shing (ALP), Jeff Bourman (Shooters, Fishers and Farmers) and Melina Bath (The Nationals) and Member for Narracan Gary Blackwood (Liberal) all siding with the locals.

Baw Baw Shire also supported HECI’s case as did many individuals from the area and many other parts of Gippsland.