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The campaign is not about us and never has been... but thank you to Hurlstone for the acknowledgement of SHEAP's efforts. In fairness, there were many, many other people from the school and beyond who gave time, money, effort and ideas to support the SHEAP and community campaigns to Save Hurlstone's farm. Some chose to remain anonymous to preserve their professional obligations. All credit to their strong ethics. Others are unsung heroes and good community citizens. At the right time, I hope they can be acknowledged also. It was/is a fight worth having in...
the interests of the school, agricultural education, green space, heritage and the community interest. This proud public school should never take a backward step about the value of what it does and the importance of agriculture as a science and economic driver. The regional green space should never be taken for granted and Hurlstone must be a vigilant and trustworthy custodian of that historic land into the future. This campaign started and continues as non partisan affair with many strange bedfellows. Its worth saying. as someone who is committed to good government and strong policy making, I also believe that our community can never be complacent and simply trust Governments - of any persuasion - do always do the right thing. The are not aways right. We have to look after our own backyards as a safeguard against Government excess and hubris in the future. We also need to beware our own complacency and hubris within our Hurlstone family. Being a good community contributor and providing welcome hospitality for our community on the farm into the future would be a good foundation for demonstrating Hurlstone's value and securing this public asset in perpetuity. Never take for granted that the local community understands or knows what good work Hurlstone does and never take for granted the school values - which the land provides a major part of. We need to prove to ourselves - every day - the importance of what this school stands for and does. Never let this happen again...never again. That is first and foremot a School responsibility, a student responsibility and an alumni responsibility. Only then can we ask the community to come to our aid as they did this time. On that note - many, many thanks to the Macarthur Advertiser, Jeff McGill and his team (Jess and Souraiya) who saw how important this historic education asset was to the region. With their help and dedicated reporting, we were able to keep the pressure on and the silliness of the sale proposal exposed every week for a year. I hope Jeff dosen't mind me saying he runs a good 'local rag' with a finger on the community pulse - one that stands up to the best journalistic traditions of seeking and reflecting local opinion with honest reporting - a paper the Fairfax stable should be very proud of. With journos like Jeff locally and presenters like Alan Jones in the electronic media, we had the heavy and field artillery we needed to support the infantry of the local campaign. We were always outgunned by the Government, but never outclassed, outmaneouvred or defeated (sorry guys, old Army habits die hard). SHEAP sincerely hopes the Government now comes to the party for the proposed win-win outcome that is supported by the School, the P&C, the School Council, community stakeholders like the ICPA and near community neighbours and experts alike. Our proposal preserves the principles of Mal Peters report, which found the farm in active use and needing more land and investment, but our proposal includes a better, integrated management structure for the future. We don't agree with everything in the Peters' Report, but to his credit he recognised the important place of Hurlstone and he stood firm in his view that excellence in Agriculture educaion was not possible without a working farm. His report vindicated our School, our community and our campaign. Overall, we support the principles of the Inquiry Report, with some important exceptions where we have proposed - as always - constructive improvements. Oh, and as President Tiffany points out, it is not over till the fat lady (or should I say thin blonde lady) sings. We have plenty of energy in reserve if the Government doesn't do the right thing now... but we think and hope they will now take the local advice on the best way forward. We are hearing positive noises that the structure in the Report is not something the Government is wedded to - even if the bureaucrats are lobbying for control. Which choice is in the Government's interest as struggles to hold on to power? Support the locals or be directed by the bureaucrats? There is a real opportunity for an exciting new chapter in Hurlstone's history, if the Goverment can bring itself to the table. And finally, well done to all in Year 12 who stayed the course of their HSC studies despite the unecessary distraction of the sale proposal - a folly that has well and truly been debunked. As someone who did HSC during the 1982 attempt to steal this community asset, I know how they feel. I believe this time was even tougher for Year 12 than it was for us. On behalf of President Tiff and the entire SHEAP team - thank you for the outstanding support for our frontline efforts on your behalf. But, we are going nowhere yet. SHEAP is staying the course too... Pro Patria David Moore Hurlstonian '82, and SHEAP helper.
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