CRT PRIMARY SCHOOLS PROGRAM PROVIDES $50,000 FOR COUNTRY SCHOOL KIDS

25 primary schools across regional and rural Australia will receive a boost thanks to funding through the 2024 CRT Primary Schools Program.

In its third year, the CRT Primary Schools Program will distribute $50,000 among Parents and Friends Associations (P&Fs) of primary schools in regional and rural Australia.

Head of Independents, Rebecca Gay highlighted the program’s overwhelming response this year.

“We received over 100 applications, making it a challenging task for the selection panel to narrow it down to the 25 successful applicants,” said Ms Gay.

“CRT stores are local employers in many regional communities, and schools play a vital role in these areas. This program aims to recognise the crucial contributions P&F associations make in fostering the growth and development of the next generation.”

“We believe investing in primary schools is an investment in a smart, strong, and confident future for regional Australia.”

This year’s funding will support various initiatives, including improving outdoor play spaces, upgrading technologies in the classroom, and providing funding for sporting and educational equipment and ag learning resources.

“We’re seeing many P&F associations eager to connect with agriculture through cattle clubs and paddock to play initiatives. These projects provide students with a hands-on connection to food and agriculture and a chance to immerse themselves in the outdoors,” said Ms Gay.

“We’re also pleased to be able to fund excursions and extracurricular activities, which are often a struggle for regional and remote schools to access.”

The CRT Primary Schools Program will return in 2025. For a list of successful applicants visit: https://www.crt.com.au/primary-schools-program/.

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A visit with Gary Eck and the moon

By Samantha Elley

It’s not every day you get to hear about the moon coming for a visit, but that was what happened to Casino Christian School students when author and standup comedian Gary Eck came to visit last week.

As part of Beef Week celebrations, Gary read his latest children’s book, The Day the Moon Came to Stay to a group of very invested and intrigued Kindie and Year One students.

“I kind of see myself in a sense as a story teller,” he said.

“Everything I do has some sort of narrative. I am a stand up comic by trade.

“I’ve been doing it for 30 years and that in itself is micro-storytelling, telling short jokes, long jokes.

“I’ve always aspired to longer form stuff.”

From the days of Tropfest, where he won with his short film The Money in 2014, to his work in Happy Feet 2 with George Miller, Gary has always been involved in telling stories.

His recent work has been involved in telling stories to children, including the animated series Ginger and the Vegesaurs, which can be viewed on ABC Kids.

“We are in our third season, which comes out in June,” he said.

“It’s the number two show on the BBC, just behind Bluey.”

His latest book, which he was able to read to the students at the school, is entitled The Day the Moon Came to Stay.

“This one, I remember when my son was about three and there was a big full moon,” he said.

“I was holding him and he was looking up at the moon and he was trying to grab (it).”

“Then I thought ‘what if the moon came here and it was only six feet tall?’.”

From there, as Gary said, the story wrote itself where the main character, Billy, sees the moon is sad and so sends an invitation to the big celestial being to come for a visit.

A captivated audience of young listeners giggled and watched as Gary narrated the story, showing the effects of what happens when the moon visits.

Afterwards, he proceeded to show how you send a message to the moon via the Zoomer Boomer 3000 paper airplane.

The book, written by Gary Eck and illustrated by Nick O’Sullivan, is available online via Amazon.

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JUSTINE DELIVERS FOR NORTH COAST STUDENTS

Local Labor MP Justine Elliot announced that the Albanese Labor Government will deliver two new major initiatives, which will support current and former higher education students on the North Coast.

“Both these major changes will make a big difference to locals on the North Coast, those with HECS debts, and those undertaking mandatory work placements for teaching, nursing, midwifery, and social work qualifications.

“Labor is making our higher education system work better for students and work better for our economy.

“As your strong voice in the Albanese Government, I’m proud to be delivering this important support for locals,” Justine said.

1.CUTTING STUDENT DEBT 

“The first major change is cutting the student debt of more than three million Australians, including nearly 20,000 here on the North Coast.

“This will wipe around $3 billion in student debt nationally, easing the pressure on workers and students across the country.

“The Government will cap the HELP indexation rate to whatever is lower out of Consumer Price Index or the Wage Price Index with effect from 1 June 2023, and backdate the relief to 1 June last year.

“This will benefit every person with a HELP debt, fixing the issue of last year’s spike in the CPI indexation rate of 7.1 per cent and preventing growth in debt from outpacing wages in the future.

“This will make the system fairer and benefit all Australians with a HELP debt.

“I know many locals with HECS debts are impacted by the indexation increases. Labor listens, and Labor acts.

“By backdating this reform to last year, we’re making sure that those with student loans affected by last year’s jump in indexation get this important cost-of-living relief.

“This continues our work to ease cost of living pressures and reduce and remove financial barriers to education and training,” Justine said.

For individual information see the HELP Indexation Credit Estimator: education.gov.au/HELPestimator.

COST-OF-LIVING SUPPORT FOR TEACHING, NURSING AND SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS

“The second initiative is establishing a Commonwealth Prac Payment to support students undertaking mandatory work placements for teaching, nursing, midwifery, and social work qualifications.

“The payment will provide around 68,000 higher education students and over 5,000 VET students each year with $319.50 per week during their clinical and professional placement periods.

“This payment will provide cost-of-living relief for many students. It will be means-tested and available from 1 July 2025 and will be in addition to any income support a student may also receive.

“The Albanese Labor Government is addressing the care and teaching workforce skills shortages, while assisting more students to commence and complete their studies.

“Some students say prac means giving up their part-time job, and that they don’t have the money to pay the bills.

“This will help encourage more students to study teaching, nursing, and social work, all of which are critical to our local workforce and community.

“This will give people who have signed up to do some of the most important jobs in this country a bit of extra help to get the qualifications they need,” Justine said.

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