Peel High Schools new Variety Sunshine Coach has opened up a “whole new world of learning and opportunities and made a world of difference for both staff and students” according to Special Needs head teacher Tom Gasson.
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The $70,000 12 seater bus can be driven by any teachers with a regular drivers license, although the real benefit is that it can lift and fit two wheelchairs, and is run completely by recycling.
Amazingly the bus is the 1382nd Sunshine Coach that Variety have donated to schools around Australia, with Peel fundraising $17,000 before the charity chipped in the rest.
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Variety head of regional development Jason Bourke said that the local school perfectly fitted the bill.
“We fund coaches for schools with disadvantage,” he said.
“Peel has a significant special needs class, as well as a big population and a lot of disadvantaged families.
“We want to ensure that all kids get a fair go in life and get all the opportunities other kids get.”
The school has already had the bus in action for a month, and Mr Gasson said the sky is the limit for what can now be achieved.
“We have already been able to go to events that we couldn’t go to previously,” he said.
“Bocce is a really inclusive sport and we were able to take a team to Armidale that we were unable to go last year because of the cost.
“We are also looking to use it to drop some kids home from after school activities, attend Riding for the Disabled, and a swimming program, as well as a shopping program that we are running next year – the sky is the limit – and it is not just for the special needs class either.”
Ordinarily hiring a bus for the day costs $300 on top of fuel, although the new bus and an innovative solution to pay for fuel has changed everything.
Since the Container Deposit Scheme launched in November last year Mr Gasson and the special needs class have been cleaning up the playground, and cashing in the containers for 10 cents a pop.
“We are averaging $80 a week, which is really good,” Mr Gasson said.
“An excursion that needed $35 with the permission slip now only costs $5 – so there is no costs being passed on to struggling families – it has already made a world of difference for students and staff.”
Amazingly the funding for this bus came all came out of the local community, with local Variety stalwarts like Dave Doherty and Graham Meyers among many local supporters that have been pushing hard and digging deep through both the Postie Bike Dash and the Variety Bash.
“That is why Variety is so good,” Mr Doherty said.
“All that money has been raised locally, and is then used locally for local children – you can see exactly where the money is going and the results are incredible.”
