AUGUST 14, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Taking the next step
(Marco De Luca)
Epping firefighter Matt Pollard will push his body to the limit when he scales 28 flights of stairs while wearing 25 kilograms of turnout gear and breathing apparatus in honour of friends who are battling mental health issues. The volunteer firefighter will join other Epping CFA firefighters at the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb on September 1 at the Crown Metropol Hotel. Mr Pollard said the brigade was tackling the climb for the second year running in honour of a fellow firefighter who took his own life a couple of years ago. But, on a personal level, he had signed back up in honour of friends. “I have got some friends who have taken their lives and some friends who today are suffering with severe depression,” Mr Pollard said. “Everyone is affected by depression and mental health issues, whether it is themselves or a friend, so I want to do what I can to raise awareness.” Mr Pollard will climb the 28 floors while breathing through an oxygen cylinder. He said carrying the oxygen would make his journey even more difficult, with the air in the cylinder becoming very dry towards the end of the climb. To support Mr Pollard, visit www. firefighterclimb.org.au/climber/ mattpollard Laura Michell
New school misses mark By Laura Michell Students at Edgars Creek Secondary College are being taught in an unfinished school, according to the school council. Students moved into the new Epping North school at the start of term three, after spending the first two terms at Mernda Central College. The state government fast-tracked construction of the school last year to satisfy demand for a secondary school in Epping North.
But interim school council president Melanie Taimani said students had been allowed into the school before it was finished, putting them at a disadvantage. “Now that it has opened, it is not fully operational. [There is] inadequate temporary heating, no air-conditioning or shading for summer, [and] work on the interior and exterior is incomplete with cosmetic work still being undertaken,” she said. “The oval will take a further six months at least to be completed. Two thirds of the staff car
park has been converted into a basketball court and down-ball area.” Ms Taimani said the school council had also been advised there was not enough funding to run IT programs at the school. “Students are not being given the full educational programs which they should be entitled to receive,” she said. There are 88 students enrolled at the school, with enrolments expected to rise to close to 300 students next year. By 2020, the school population is expected to double.
Ms Taimani said there was concerns that the May state budget did not include funding for future stages. An education department spokeswoman said stage one of the school was complete. “Heating for the main buildings will be installed this month. The department and the Victorian School Building Authority will initially provide the school with laptops and multipurpose devices to ensure students have access to the digital technologies they need for a great education,” she said.
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