Gidgegannup Primary School still going strong after 30 years

A small school with a big heart in the Perth Hills is celebrating the start of its fourth decade after the Gidgegannup community rallied together to get it built. Since its opening in 1992, the Gidgegannup Primary School has been a central hub for those living and working in the area, with nearly 200 students enrolled. While most schools are built on the back of new housing developments, this wasn’t the case for Gidgegannup, where the community rallied together for a local school. At the time, students were travelling to Swan View or Toodyay, which many regarded as just too far for an area encompassing hundreds of houses. The community rallied together to campaign for a local school and in 1992 its doors were opened. Among those who were there at the start was Year 1 and 2 teacher Heather Luke. Originally from Mawson, near Quairading, she and her husband bought a block at Toodyay but fell in love with Gidgegannup while driving through the area en route to the Wheatbelt. They decided to move to Gidgegannup and quickly embedded themselves in the community, with all three of their children attending the school. “We moved to the area and just loved it,” Ms Luke said. “It has become a hub for the community. “We’d bought a block of land in Toodyay and as we were developing it, we noticed Gidgegannup.” After 15 years in Gidgegannup, Ms Luke moved to Perth but said she still looked forward to the commute each day. Each year, students from the school choir and music program perform at the Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day, with this year’s performance pegged for 11.15am in the cafe/entertainment area. Gidgegannup Primary School deputy principal Simone Harris said the community was proud of the school, which had become a hub. “The community was so adamant that this is what they wanted and so people are really proud of the school,” she said. The school was originally flagged for a different location but the discovery of a spring at the site where the school stands now meant it made sense to build there. These days, the school is run almost entirely on spring water, with tanks dotted around the grounds. The school — on land once owned by farmers Peter and Lyn Ferrick — has changed a lot over the years, with Ms Luke recalling the early days. “Where my current classroom is was once bushland . . . but the main changes have been to our amazing early childhood area,” she said. “We have run so many wonderful projects through the school, particularly highlighting the Indigenous culture in the area.” In coming months, the school will revamp its garden area to have edible native plants to save water. Ms Harris said the school was also proud of its alumni, which include award-winning film director Ben Young — who debuted his film Hounds of Love in 2016 and two years later had another piece, Extinction released on Netflix. The Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day will be held from 9am-4.30pm on Sunday, May 28, at the Gidgegannup Showground at 2171 Toodyay Road in Gidgegannup. Tickets are $15 for adults and can be bought at the gate. Entry for children under 16 is free.