Upper Yarra
Tuesday, 9 February, 2021
Happy fashion statement
Tributes flow for Father Ken
Little aths returns
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PROPERTY GUIDE Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808 12477081-JW03-21
A Star News Group Publication
New page turns By Jed Lanyon
Ada, Elly and Marion enjoying Chum Creek Primary School’s renovated library.
said parent and bookstore employee Rhiannon Leach. “It was something, but just not the same as having access to their own library.” Continued page 5
YARRA RANGES GAS HEAT & COOL
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Community Pantry
9737 6833
24d John St., LILYDALE
Please take what you need, give what you can.
Ph: 5966 9999
Cire Community Hub 2463 Warburton Hwy Yarra Junction
1300 835 235 www.cire.org.au 12439476-LB42-10
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library van shared with other small schools. “Once a week we would get a mobile library visit and the kids would have the opportunity to go in there and borrow a book for a week,”
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be used partially for storage. In the meanwhile, the school accessed the local library’s mobile book truck (until it was discontinued) as well as a small weekly visiting
Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
12469537-SN47-20
Twelve years ago, approximately 400 individual fires wreaked havoc across the state on 7 February 2009, on a day we now call Black Saturday. More than a decade later, the impacts of the disaster remain longlasting on the Yarra Valley community and especially so for Chum Creek Primary School. While the school’s main buildings were spared from the blaze it did not escape totally unscathed, as a chook shed, storage sheds, entrance ramp, play equipment and trees scattered around the school’s grounds were all damaged by the fires. In the immediate aftermath, the school became a safe haven for students and parents as well as an unofficial community centre for Chum Creek residents, many of whom had no power or clean water. At the time of the bushfires, a lot of people in the immediate vicinity lost homes and property. In response, there were many generous donations intended for the local community that needed to be stored somewhere. Located centrally, the school became a collection point for donated items. Already short of storage space the school utilised their library to store the goods and equipment that began to arrive, Chum Creek Primary School principal Michael Corr told Star Mail. “People would say I’ve got a few boxes or eskies and things for the people of Chum Creek and we’d say, put them in there,” he said. “Because it was full of stored bits and pieces I think the school then got out of the habit of using the library properly. I think that was one of the bad things that came from the bushfires that we didn’t realise at the time.” Since then, the little school of just 25 students (now a strong 57) were left without a properly working library and it largely fell into disuse. Despite best intentions, without decent funding the library remained underutilised over the years and the room continued to