'A big win for the little people'...

Remember way back in June this year, I wrote a post about DH and I going on a protest march through our suburb's streets to the local high school ? The state government had published a list of schools which it planned to close at the end of the year. This incensed me as the school is also a community resource used by a number of community groups, as well as being a smaller school that cares for its student population. So I felt that I had a duty to support the local community's efforts to save our school.
We gathered at the shops on South Pine Rd...

The balloons that I was given to carry seemed to want to take off! lol

This lady who worked at our local Coles and who is on maternity leave with her first child was there...and she made her feelings known about the proposed school closure

Wayne Swan, the Federal Member for this area came along to lend his support...

pretty soon the march will start...

 The crowd crossed the main road and started heading up Stafford Rd...

We are nearly level with the school's front gate which is on the other side of the road. The group then crossed  Stafford Road, while some brave volunteers held up the traffic...

 The school's entrance...

The media was there inside the school grounds interviewing a number of people...

Here's Joel from Channel 9 News...

Some of the signs which people had carried on the march were then propped at the front of the stage in the Effie Reid Assembly Hall...

Some of the crowd... note the disparate age groups...a real cross section of the local community...

Now that was in June. During June and July a group of parents, community members and school staff worked together on a submission to save the school. In the early stages the government moved the date forward for submissions to be finalised...it seemed like a ploy to make it more difficult for school groups to collect all the data and have it ready on time. DH felt that such an effort was doomed, but I just kept hoping. I knew how hard that group had worked. 

Well the community got the government's decision a few weeks back...The school is saved from closure!! Such wonderful news. The school's submissions were accepted and the trade off is opening up the school to even more community groups out of school hours and a smallish parcel of land from the school's 25 acres will be taken back by the government for whatever they plan for it...probably sell it to private enterprise. I think it has been a real win win situation and for once 'People Power' has won!

The man in the photo is the President of the school's Parents and Citizens' Association and he deserves a 

'pat on the back' for the way he galvanised the community into action. Way to go!!

Still keeping busy...

We got home last Saturday and it's been a busy time since...
Sunday I met up with some school friends for coffee. Monday was just catching up on chores around the house.
Tuesday was a Knit and Natter at Zillmere in the morning

and a former colleague's retirement afternoon tea later in the day...

Her farewell gift was a pair of earrings that she had really wanted...there was a bit of subterfuge here with her daughter helping pick the right gift! lol

Wednesday was DH's birthday, so a lunch for him and one of the DsD's had to be organised... then it was off to Sisters of Stitch as I had a story book to hand in as this group is going to make a donation of children's books to a hospital in honour of the group's birthday in June.

Then Wednesday night, some more of the family came over to help DH celebrate. DsD2 brought a salad and the cake which really cut my workload down and enabled me to go to S.o.S. that day.

What a magnificent cake that DsD2 made for her dad...

Thursday was my 6 monthly check up with the cardiologist (no disease, just racing heart) and all blood test results were great, especially liver function!! No evidence of fatty liver disease any more and that was great news!!! And blood pressure readings continue to lower...so good news all round.

Friday was just a hairdresser appointment but Saturday has seen DH and I out and about in the community.

You see, the Queensland government, after sacking about 14 000 public servants, is now working on cutting services...and our local high school is facing closure. I felt strongly about that because this school is like a community hub in this area...not just offering educational services, but many other groups in the community use the grounds and buildings out of school hours. It is also a school that offers less academic students a number of educational opportunities including trade certificates etc. All 3 of my stepdaughters went to this school as well as DD1 for her year 11 and 12 years after her high school closed. So I've seen what a school closure does to people and the community...so...just after 9.30 this morning DH and I walked to the local state politician's office where we would meet up with other people...the plan was that the assembly would then march to the school.
As we neared the pollie's office I could see that already people had gathered...my heart swelled with pride! people did care!!!

I've been a union member all my working life and a union rep for the last 3 years of my career...I'm an old hand at protests, demos and marches...lol

Here's someone I knew...this lady used to work at the local Coles supermarket before her son was born...her sign on his pram says it all! Also in the photo is a folk singer who sang all those old protest songs we remember from the 60s and 70s.
DH was asked if he would carry a sign...

Here we are all lined up, ready to cross the busy road so we could start our march up Stafford Rd. Brave souls stopped the traffic so we could all cross together...the people in the cars didn't seem to mind...

Here we are walking past the shopping centre

The marchers have reached the school front gate...

This is our destination...the school hall....

The television stations were all there including Sky News...

Here's some of the crowd...

And I'll let the posters have the final word in this post...