Such a great experience for the SEMZ team to witness the excitement, gratitude and sense of pride at the opening ceremony for the VSBA’s recently completed Miners Rest Primary School.

The official event saw local Government representatives come together with staff, students, parents, project teams and the surrounding community to celebrate.

With 10 new classrooms, new entry and administration areas, arts and music rooms, food tech facilities, a vegetable garden and landscaped open play areas, the school provides current and future students and the local community with the facilities to achieve their dreams.

Located around 110 km from Melbourne, Miners Rest is situated in a major growth corridor.  With enrolments expected to increase exponentially over coming years, the project included land acquisition with the site enlarged from 1.5 hectares to 5.2 hectares.

The ceremony was held in the school’s new competition-grade gymnasium which is complemented by an impressive synthetic grass football oval, conveniently available for the wider community to enjoy outside school hours.

Principal Dale Power spoke of his experience in collaborating with the Project Team and Stakeholders over recent years – “If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an awesome project team to build a school like we have.  Our project teams from the VSBA, Tectura Architects, SEMZ Project Management and HTroon Constructions, thank you for joining us today.

At every stage, the Miners Rest Primary School expansion project has been a collaborative process with School staff, School Council and key community stakeholders working alongside the project team.  For the SEMZ team, the opening ceremony was a hugely proud day.  Witnessing the excitement and pride of students and staff as they enjoy their new space and facilities demonstrates the magnitude of benefits these facilities bring to this regional community.

Local member Juliana Addison addressed the ceremony, congratulating everyone involved on the amazing outcome “these are some of the best facilities I have ever seen in my entire life.  The students here are so lucky to be able to go through school with such beautiful facilities.  We now have fit for purpose 21st century learning spaces that match the great quality of teaching in classes and the amazing learning that is happening here.” 

As Project Managers on a wide range of new and exciting education projects, there is a huge sense of fulfilment for the SEMZ team in improving the opportunity offered to young people and communities.  Addison emphasised this point for Miners Rest -“There’s so much more opportunity for great things to happen at this school.  Whether you’re passionate about writing, maths, music or sport there really is something here for everyone.  This school will continue to make a difference for future generations.”

Reflecting on her experience working on the Miners Rest Primary School, SEMZ Project Manager Genevieve White is immensely proud of the outcome. “This project had its fair share of hurdles.  Working through extensive COVID restrictions, inclement weather, material supply chain issues and so much more made it even more rewarding to witness the facilities being used in the way they’re intended.  Sensing the excitement and seeing the elements come together – the landscaping, the architecture the sporting facilities brought home just how life changing these facilities are for the community.”