Melbourne High School fears losing its rowing program over Stonnington lease
Melbourne High School and Wesley College have been working together to lease boathouse facilities on the Yarra for almost a decade. But now supporters of the public school feel its grasp is slipping away.
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A government high school fears its rowing program could soon be lost if a lease tender it had been working on for almost a decade is given solely to a private school.
Melbourne High School and Wesley College have been working together to co-lease boathouse facilities at 162 Alexandra Ave in South Yarra since November 2010 and were chosen as the preferred tender in 2012.
But with negotiations in their final throes, Stonnington Council announced an intention to lease it just to Wesley in November.
Melbourne High School Old Boys’ Association president Peter Stathopoulos told the council that preventing its access to the boating facility “would severely hamper and jeopardise the ongoing nature of the rowing program”.
A former student and captain of boats, Lachlan McKinnon, said news the council was cancelling the tender process came as a “huge shock to the school and community supporting this”.
“If we aren’t able to make this situation work, we are looking at a future where there is no future of rowing for MHS,” he said.
“We’re all hopeful but certainly not confident that we’ll get back to where we want to be, which is a permanent home.”
The state’s rowing body has also backed the lease to be split between the two schools, with Rowing Victoria chief executive Nick Gall telling the council it had been working with Melbourne High to develop a club which provided opportunity for state secondary schools to take part in rowing.
“Currently, state secondary schools have limited access to rowing facilities, hampering state secondary school students’ opportunity to participate and develop in this Olympic sport,” he said.
Both schools have announced plans for boat storage facilities at Como Park North, with Wesley College enlisting alumni and former rower Peter Sandow to design a $4.5 million boathouse.
It includes a fourth bay for boats and redeveloping the building to include new changerooms, gym, kitchen, storage and carparking.
Melbourne High, an academically selective school in South Yarra, has targeted funding for a $1 million building.
Compounding the issue, Melbourne High is set to lose access to the Power House rowing club in the coming months, which would leave its rowers without a base if this lease does not eventuate.
However, Stonnington councillors were quick to emphasise that council had not made any decisions on the lease and its current standing did not prevent the two schools from sharing the leased land.
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“We are not making a decision on the lease (yet),” Cr Jami Klisaris said.
“It would be great if the schools could come to an arrangement … but it may be something we can consider down the track.
“Nothing is precluding both schools from working together to do this together.
“We’re willing to consider anything that’s logical and viable.”
Stonnington Council officers will now make a report to present to the council.