Goolwa community pushes for high school to avoid sending students to Victor Harbor and Strathalbyn

Every weekday, more than 600 children pack into buses and cars to travel from the Goolwa region to Victor Harbor or Strathalbyn, because there is no local high school.

Claire Yeoward with her children Kirby, 5, Eddy, 10 and Oscar, 9. She is hoping for a Goolwa high school to avoid having to send them to Victor Harbor or Strathalbyn. Picture: Tom Huntley

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Every weekday, more than 600 children pack into buses and cars to travel from Goolwa to Victor Harbor or Strathalbyn, because there is no local high school.

Families and the local council are lobbying for a new school so children are no longer forced to travel long distances – sometimes on dangerous roads – to get to class.

Among parents joining the calls is Claire Yeoward, whose children Eddy, 11, Oscar, 9, and Kirby, 6, are likely to travel to Victor Harbor High once they finish primary school.

“If there was a high school here it would be nice and close and Eddy would be able to walk or ride,” Mrs Yeoward says.

“With the subdivisions happening at Hindmarsh Island and Goolwa North, that will attract more families and we’ll definitely have more need for it.

“There’s a lot of families here that are trying to find somewhere to send their children.”

Most families sent their children to either Victor Harbor High, about 20km away, or travelled about 35km to Eastern Fleurieu R-12 School in Strathalbyn.

“Some children rely on their families to take them to school and it makes working commitments tricky,” Mrs Yeoward says.

“It’s dangerous, because it’s extra travelling time on windy roads.”

Goolwa is connected to Strathalbyn via Alexandrina Rd, where Playford Primary principal Dean Clark died in car accident in December.

Alexandrina Council has been calling for funding to upgrade the stretch for years.

Chief executive Glenn Rappensberg says the town’s high school students have to do a round trip of about 50km to get to and from school, on roads that have no passing lanes.

Eastern Fleurieu and Victor Harbor High are already at capacity and issues could be exacerbated once Year 7 moves into high school from 2022.

“We’d like to see the State Government commit to the provision of secondary education in Goolwa,” Mr Rappensberg says.

“It’s a very important public service that should be provided in a community of about 9000 people.”

Council analysis has found that by 2026, Goolwa and Hindmarsh Island will be home to 10,000 people, with enough school-age children to support a stand-alone R-12 school.

Mr Rappensberg says the council is worried the absence of a high school might put some families off moving to the area – or result in others leaving for larger towns.

Education Minister John Gardner said he had met with council representatives and understood their concerns, but there were no formal plans for a high school in Goolwa.

“Bus services exist to support students travelling to Victor Harbor High School, as the local high school, or Eastern Fleurieu R-12 School,” Mr Gardner said.

“We will continue to consider this matter, being mindful of any potential capacity constraints at the other local schools.”

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