Tin Can Bay mum ‘frustrated’ at fight culture in small township

Parents on the Cooloola Coast are concerned about the safety of their children after a series of distressing punch-ups between students were filmed and posted online.

A fight between two Tin Can Bay State School students is one of several to have been filmed recently and posted online, with parents expressing concern over the ongoing violence in the Cooloola Coast community.

A video shot near the library at the school last week was posted to a private Instagram account, along with several other videos of fights between what appear to be local teenagers.

The video shows two male students yelling, swearing and punching each other in the face, with an adult in the background telling them to stop.

The footage was sent to The Gympie Times by concerned parent Emily Black, who said the fights were “disturbing” and she was “frustrated” with the lack of action.

Tin Can Bay State School physical fight escalates between students on school grounds.

“As far as I know, the school is not aware of the Instagram channel,” Mrs Black said.

“It’s very frustrating because the parents’ voices aren’t being heard and there’s a culture there that is not necessarily reflective of what the lifestyle is like in South East Queensland.”

Mrs Black has two children at the school, with her son experiencing the violence himself while outside the school grounds.

“My son called my husband in a panic and he had to go to pick him up straight away,” she said.

“The school just told us to go the police, which I understand … it just doesn’t seem like they want to tackle it in any way themselves.”

Mrs Black said the fights had escalated in the past few months, with one taking place nearly every week recently.

“The school has just employed six new teachers so I don’t know if that’s going to make a difference or if they’ve just gotten rid of six other teachers,” she said.

Mrs Black said six students she knew had recently been pulled out of the school to be homeschooled by their parents due to the perceived “fight culture”.

Tin Can Bay State School physical fight escalates between students on school grounds.

“The thing that concerns me in the video, was the amount of time it took for an adult to present themselves because it was right near the main office. I just feel like that should’ve escalated a little more swiftly.”

“It’s frustrating and unfortunate and I just think there could be more programs initiated, there’s got to be some sort of solution.

“The school has the potential to be something really special so it’s just really disappointing.”

Tin Can Bay State School was contacted for comment but had not responded at time of publication.

Tin Can Bay State School physical fight escalates between students on school grounds.