Winchelsea Primary School council president says site desperately needs rebuild amid asbestos and pest problems

A primary school on the Surf Coast deals with asbestos, possum urine, and birds destroying wiring, forking out $30,000 annually for basic upkeep as a result, according to the council president.

Winchelsea Primary School forks out $30,000 annually in basic upkeep tasks, council members Shae Callahan says, pictured with Megan Morris and students Tommy Humphries, Grace Morris with Patrick, Hannah and Elizabeth Humphries. Picture: Brad Fleet

Winchelsea Primary parents are calling for a new school to be built, saying existing classrooms are riddled with asbestos, pests and possum urine.

School council president Shae Callahan said the school had been neglected by the state government, with facilities not updated since the 1950s.

Ms Callahan, whose youngest child is in year 2 at the school, said the community felt they’d been forgotten about by the education department.

She said the buildings – the original dating back to the 1850s, and an extension added in the 1950s – were “past their use by date”, and further degenerating because of pests.

“We’ve got George the possum – the children have named it – that lives in the roof,” she said.

Ms Callahan, pictured with Megan Morris and students Hannah Humphries and Grace Morris, said it was an incredibly frustrating situation. Picture: Brad Fleet

“There might be a few Georges, and they sound like a herd of elephants running through the ceilings during class time (and urine runs down the walls).

“We have what the children call the ‘Winchelsea snow’ – which is thousands of corellas (white cockatoos) that perch themselves on the school wiring and chew it.

“We’ve had a problem with white ants, in the original building.

“And we’ve also got a problem with asbestos … that makes it hard, dangerous and costly to do improvement works on the existing building.”

Ms Callahan said $30,000 of the school’s budget was taken out annually for basic upkeep, which in turn made it hard to provide the best quality opportunities for students.

She said there was also a safety issue of the school facing the Princes Hwy, with a poor quality fence the only thing between children and fast cars going past.

She said as a result, the outside area available for play was very limited.

Ms Callahan said this was potentially going to be further limited by portable classrooms the department could be introducing as a way to address the issues.

The school community has launched a Legislative Assembly petition to call on the government to consider planning for a new school in Winchelsea to cater for the current and future growth of the town and surrounds.

Ms Callahan said they were “reaching for the stars” with their request, but knew it would ultimately benefit Winchelsea’s growing community.

“We know that it’s going to be a slow process, but … we’re aiming for the long-term benefit of the town that’s ever-expanding,” she said.

“We’re lobbying the state government to start the process now before it’s too late.”

An education department spokesman said the state government worked “closely” with schools to ensure they could meet the needs of their communities.

He said Winchelsea Primary School received $700,000 in funding for upgrades since 2015.

“The infrastructure needs of all schools, including Winchelsea Primary School, are considered through the state budget process to ensure every student can access a great local school and a quality education, close to home, no matter where they live,” he said.

It’s understood the school has also received $352,000 in capital funding since 2017-18 to refurbish classrooms and facilities, with works including roof repairs and removal of asbestos from the library.

The school also received almost $55,000 this year in funding to spend on maintenance activities for the school’s buildings and grounds.

The Geelong Advertiser understands capacity at Winchelsea Primary School has been deemed sufficient for current and future enrolment forecasts.

The petition is available at new.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/plan-for-a-new-school-in-winchelsea

Originally published as Winchelsea Primary School council president says site desperately needs rebuild amid asbestos and pest problems