Harvey's Ag School welcomes the community for annual open day bringing in charity funds
Welcoming more than 1000 people on to the school's grounds, visitors toured the farm, trades, class and residential areas.
Alongside the open day, the community and students took part in fundraising for Do it For Dolly, with events outside the open day such as a Mother's Day raffle and a Dress in Blue day.
The school raffled a pearl bracelet, donated by a student's family, during the open day bringing the school's total donations to $2640 for the year.
College principal Stephan Watt said the school was pleased to support the charity.
'Our student counsellor group picked the Do if for Dolly charity as their focus this year because Dolly's story is so relevant to their own lives,' he said.
'We believe it is really important for our students to recognise their own good fortune and to assist those in need.'
The open day also proved to be a major success with prospective students, former students, families and community members all taking a trip to the school.
'Our students especially shine on open day — they are engaged and involved and so proud to show off what we have,' Mr Watt said.
'This year I think the highlights of the day were the things that added movement and excitement such as the machinery parade, motocross track in operation, the led cattle and horses, and the fencing exhibition.'
Mr Watt said the event always proved a draw for the community, with students coming from across the State to take part.
'Open day is also an opportunity for family of our current students to visit and see what their sons and daughters get up to with us,' he said.
'Something I really enjoy is catching up with the ex-students and staff who come to visit on open day, I love that once (they're) a student at Harvey Ag, they continue to feel part of our community.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Perth Now
The country economy of flowers, focaccia and friendship
When Tiarna Smitheman couldn't find fresh flowers to comfort a bereaved friend, she grew her own. A sunny spot in her backyard brims with cosmos, sunflowers, dahlias, billy buttons and zinnias in spring and summer, a reminder of her friend's late grandmother. The women's connection through flowers is the inspiration for her little roadside stall, The Blue Bee Market in Keith, a farming hub 230km southeast of Adelaide. Ms Smitheman sells bunches of her home-grown blooms from the welcoming wall-papered stall, giving the community of 1400 an alternative to supermarket or servo bouquets. In her first season, the stall sparked conversations around town, was a popular choice for Mother's Day presents and captured the imaginations of tourists staying at the motel next door. She gifted her friend a bouquet on the first anniversary of her grandmother's passing. "I finally had my own flowers to give her," Ms Smitheman tells AAP. With beginnings in a sweet gesture of friendship, The Blue Bee Market has become a way for Ms Smitheman to connect with her neighbourhood, teach local kids about nature and earn some money while raising two daughters. "It's the environment of living rurally, you make your own fun," she says. "It's more of a wholesome life." Roadside stalls dot the landscape across Australia, offering fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, eggs, honey, jam, plants, seeds, books, craft and even bags of horse and sheep manure for garden fertiliser. These kinds of stalls, which usually operate on an honesty payment system, have a long history of offering fresh, homegrown produce directly to communities. "Whatever direction you take a run in a motor car on Sundays you will find the road sides lined with stalls and the stallholders are the farmers and their families," Queensland's Western Champion newspaper reported in 1931. "Everything looks enticing and is good to taste, touch and smell." Nearly a century later, roadside stalls still play an important role in many rural households. The Tasmanian Women in Agriculture group told a 2023 parliamentary inquiry examining country bank closures that stalls help secure and diversify farming families' earnings. "Fewer income earning opportunities in regional and rural locations see households operate in the informal sector," it wrote. "Microbusinesses contribute to family income." Mother-of-three Louise Rothe's stall Googies and Greens, which stocks an abundance of homemade food, is so successful she didn't have to return to a previous job in catering. Ms Rothe set up the stall in Langhorne Creek, a picturesque wine-growing region 55km from Adelaide, as she recovered from post-natal depression. "I needed something else to focus on, so it gave me a project and something to distract myself with," she tells AAP as fresh loaves of bread bake in her oven while her young children nap. "It was supposed to be just a little hobby selling veggies on the side of the road and it quickly expanded." Baked treats like focaccia, brownies, pinwheel biscuits and banana bread are stocked in pastel hand-painted eskies alongside jars of homemade pesto, dried herbs and pickles. Googies and Greens, which has more than 1000 followers on Instagram, allows Ms Rothe to work at her own pace while raising her children at home. Social media posts that capture idyllic days in her kitchen and fertile vegetable patch have even helped lure visitors to town. "It's bringing people to our community that have also stopped around at the wineries and the brewery and all the other roadside stalls," she says. Two years travelling around Australia with her young family prompted Daneve Frankish to establish her stall in Captain Creek, in Queensland's Gladstone region. The family's most memorable moments on the road included buying sourdough from a vintage fridge in Tasmania and swapping their kids' books at street libraries in countless country towns. "It was nice to be able to stop and support these little communities we were driving through," Ms Frankish, a part-time teacher's aide, says. The Evenindee Homestead farm stall, which sits next to a street library, sells plants, soap, wire art, craft, bath salts and dried flowers. Ms Frankish likes to think the stall, adorned with bright yellow bunting and sunflower motifs, helps keep the caravanning community connected through items made with homely care. "There's a lot more people trying to become more self-sufficient out here," she says. "Stalls are popping up a lot more in these sort of places because people are trying to support the smaller people, not the big companies." After spending years looking to escape the pressures of city life, engineer Katja Boese and her partner found a property at Lenswood, in the Adelaide Hills, teeming with native wildlife. Among the 19 hectares was an established crop of proteas and leucadendron Ms Boese sells by the stem at her Blumenfeld stall, named for her German heritage. Her customers are encouraged to buy single stems to create their own bunches. "It's a good alternative to bouquets because they are quite dear, if you consider how much time and effort goes into it," Ms Boese says. "If you just get the stems, it's not a big effort for me and it makes people happy." Though Ms Boese rarely gets to meet those who stop by the stall, she has made memorable connections through the blooms. One customer, whose family lives overseas, asked her to create a bouquet ahead of Mother's Day. "She didn't have a mum here, but she has a lovely neighbour who is like her Australian mum. She wanted to say thank you with a bouquet," Ms Boese says. "It's really heartwarming. If you can give a bouquet to the customer and their eyes get happy and sparkly, that's really what makes my day." "I really enjoy that - making other people happy." A national directory of stalls can be found via The Roadside Stalls website, while more information about the Adelaide Hills community can be found on their Facebook page.
West Australian
14-07-2025
- West Australian
Murujuga World Heritage status won't derail North West Shelf project decision
Environment Minister Murray Watt says the addition of Murujuga rock art to the World Heritage list over the weekend won't affect his pending decision on the future of Woodside's nearby North West Shelf gas processing plant. UNESCO granted the World Heritage status overnight on Saturday after intense lobbying from the Commonwealth and WA governments, along with traditional owners from the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, to overturn a draft decision not to list the site. Senator Watt described the decision as a 'really special moment not only for traditional owners who have been working towards it for more than two decades, but for Australians more broadly.' However, the minister said the listing would not affect any development application decisions that had already happened or were underway. He gave preliminary approval in May to extend the life of the NWS plant out to 2068. The final decision is awaiting Woodside's response to conditions that are yet to be made public. 'When I made my proposed decision for the North West Shelf extension, I said that we would be applying strict conditions and preservation of the rock art was central to my decision when I made that a few weeks ago,' Senator Watt told ABC radio on Monday. 'But I guess this (World Heritage listing) is also a way of keeping future governments and future industry honest to make sure that it does have this extra layer of protection against any inappropriate development in the future, and that's a good thing.' Some environmental campaigners and the Save Our Songlines group led by Raelene Cooper had opposed the heritage listing, instead seeking to have UNESCO stick to a draft recommendation that called for all development on the Burrup Peninsula to cease and existing industrial activity to be dismantled to protect the rock art. Senator Watt said ultimately the committee was persuaded by WA research demonstrating the industrial activity in the area had not caused acid rain.
The Advertiser
12-07-2025
- The Advertiser
Fears gas project will harm heritage listed rock art
Environmentalists fear the extension of a gas project could jeopardise the future of an ancient Indigenous rock art collection after it was listed as a World Heritage site. The Murujuga rock art landscape in Western Australia was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a heritage site on Friday after intense lobbying by the federal government. "Achieving World Heritage status ensures stronger protections under Australian legislation and will allow the world to celebrate this unique cultural landscape," Environment Minister Murray Watt said while visiting the organisation's headquarters in Paris. Murujuga contains the world's largest, densest and most diverse collection of rock art engravings - known as petroglyphs - and some are estimated to be more than 50,000 years old. They depict animals, plants and human figures, and are visible due to the colour and contrast between the removed varnish layer and the underlying brighter weathered rind of the host rocks. The site was previously put forward to UNESCO in 2023 but Australia's application was referred back in May. UNESCO recommended state and federal governments address concerns that nearby acid emissions, including those from Woodside's Burrup gas hub, were degrading the art. The peninsula in northwest WA near Karratha is home to two gas plants, a fertiliser plant and iron ore and salt export facilities. While environmentalists welcomed the heritage listing, they warned that the Woodside project extension could cause further damage. "The world is now watching," Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said. "The onus is on the Australian government to make sure the values recognised by UNESCO are not jeopardised by ongoing industrial pollution. If the federal government is serious about protecting Murujuga and making sure it is not moved to an "in danger" list, Senator Watt should reject the gas hub's proposed expansion, Ms O'Shanassy added. Mardathoonera woman and Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper, who was at the UNESCO meeting, also cautioned that industry could still harm the rock art site. "Fertiliser plants are still being built around our sacred sites and polluting gas plants will emit toxic acid on our rock art for another 50 years," she said. "We will continue to fight for protection for this very special place, and the world is now aware of what we are up against." Greens Leader Larissa Waters joined the chorus of advocate voices in urging Senator Watt to cancel the approval for the North West shelf. "UNESCO had warned that Woodside's gas plant threatened the longevity of the rock art prior to the listing, but Minister Watt successfully lobbied other nations when he should have simply rejected Woodside's climate bomb extension in the first place," she said. Senator Waters added that world heritage laws should be bolstered to better protect listed sites. Australia has 21 properties on the World Heritage list, which includes the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Great Barrier Reef. UNESCO added several other sites to its list, including the Xixia Imperial Tombs in China and the Faya Palaeolandscape in the United Arab Emirates. Environmentalists fear the extension of a gas project could jeopardise the future of an ancient Indigenous rock art collection after it was listed as a World Heritage site. The Murujuga rock art landscape in Western Australia was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a heritage site on Friday after intense lobbying by the federal government. "Achieving World Heritage status ensures stronger protections under Australian legislation and will allow the world to celebrate this unique cultural landscape," Environment Minister Murray Watt said while visiting the organisation's headquarters in Paris. Murujuga contains the world's largest, densest and most diverse collection of rock art engravings - known as petroglyphs - and some are estimated to be more than 50,000 years old. They depict animals, plants and human figures, and are visible due to the colour and contrast between the removed varnish layer and the underlying brighter weathered rind of the host rocks. The site was previously put forward to UNESCO in 2023 but Australia's application was referred back in May. UNESCO recommended state and federal governments address concerns that nearby acid emissions, including those from Woodside's Burrup gas hub, were degrading the art. The peninsula in northwest WA near Karratha is home to two gas plants, a fertiliser plant and iron ore and salt export facilities. While environmentalists welcomed the heritage listing, they warned that the Woodside project extension could cause further damage. "The world is now watching," Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said. "The onus is on the Australian government to make sure the values recognised by UNESCO are not jeopardised by ongoing industrial pollution. If the federal government is serious about protecting Murujuga and making sure it is not moved to an "in danger" list, Senator Watt should reject the gas hub's proposed expansion, Ms O'Shanassy added. Mardathoonera woman and Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper, who was at the UNESCO meeting, also cautioned that industry could still harm the rock art site. "Fertiliser plants are still being built around our sacred sites and polluting gas plants will emit toxic acid on our rock art for another 50 years," she said. "We will continue to fight for protection for this very special place, and the world is now aware of what we are up against." Greens Leader Larissa Waters joined the chorus of advocate voices in urging Senator Watt to cancel the approval for the North West shelf. "UNESCO had warned that Woodside's gas plant threatened the longevity of the rock art prior to the listing, but Minister Watt successfully lobbied other nations when he should have simply rejected Woodside's climate bomb extension in the first place," she said. Senator Waters added that world heritage laws should be bolstered to better protect listed sites. Australia has 21 properties on the World Heritage list, which includes the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Great Barrier Reef. UNESCO added several other sites to its list, including the Xixia Imperial Tombs in China and the Faya Palaeolandscape in the United Arab Emirates. Environmentalists fear the extension of a gas project could jeopardise the future of an ancient Indigenous rock art collection after it was listed as a World Heritage site. The Murujuga rock art landscape in Western Australia was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a heritage site on Friday after intense lobbying by the federal government. "Achieving World Heritage status ensures stronger protections under Australian legislation and will allow the world to celebrate this unique cultural landscape," Environment Minister Murray Watt said while visiting the organisation's headquarters in Paris. Murujuga contains the world's largest, densest and most diverse collection of rock art engravings - known as petroglyphs - and some are estimated to be more than 50,000 years old. They depict animals, plants and human figures, and are visible due to the colour and contrast between the removed varnish layer and the underlying brighter weathered rind of the host rocks. The site was previously put forward to UNESCO in 2023 but Australia's application was referred back in May. UNESCO recommended state and federal governments address concerns that nearby acid emissions, including those from Woodside's Burrup gas hub, were degrading the art. The peninsula in northwest WA near Karratha is home to two gas plants, a fertiliser plant and iron ore and salt export facilities. While environmentalists welcomed the heritage listing, they warned that the Woodside project extension could cause further damage. "The world is now watching," Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said. "The onus is on the Australian government to make sure the values recognised by UNESCO are not jeopardised by ongoing industrial pollution. If the federal government is serious about protecting Murujuga and making sure it is not moved to an "in danger" list, Senator Watt should reject the gas hub's proposed expansion, Ms O'Shanassy added. Mardathoonera woman and Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper, who was at the UNESCO meeting, also cautioned that industry could still harm the rock art site. "Fertiliser plants are still being built around our sacred sites and polluting gas plants will emit toxic acid on our rock art for another 50 years," she said. "We will continue to fight for protection for this very special place, and the world is now aware of what we are up against." Greens Leader Larissa Waters joined the chorus of advocate voices in urging Senator Watt to cancel the approval for the North West shelf. "UNESCO had warned that Woodside's gas plant threatened the longevity of the rock art prior to the listing, but Minister Watt successfully lobbied other nations when he should have simply rejected Woodside's climate bomb extension in the first place," she said. Senator Waters added that world heritage laws should be bolstered to better protect listed sites. Australia has 21 properties on the World Heritage list, which includes the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Great Barrier Reef. UNESCO added several other sites to its list, including the Xixia Imperial Tombs in China and the Faya Palaeolandscape in the United Arab Emirates. Environmentalists fear the extension of a gas project could jeopardise the future of an ancient Indigenous rock art collection after it was listed as a World Heritage site. The Murujuga rock art landscape in Western Australia was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a heritage site on Friday after intense lobbying by the federal government. "Achieving World Heritage status ensures stronger protections under Australian legislation and will allow the world to celebrate this unique cultural landscape," Environment Minister Murray Watt said while visiting the organisation's headquarters in Paris. Murujuga contains the world's largest, densest and most diverse collection of rock art engravings - known as petroglyphs - and some are estimated to be more than 50,000 years old. They depict animals, plants and human figures, and are visible due to the colour and contrast between the removed varnish layer and the underlying brighter weathered rind of the host rocks. The site was previously put forward to UNESCO in 2023 but Australia's application was referred back in May. UNESCO recommended state and federal governments address concerns that nearby acid emissions, including those from Woodside's Burrup gas hub, were degrading the art. The peninsula in northwest WA near Karratha is home to two gas plants, a fertiliser plant and iron ore and salt export facilities. While environmentalists welcomed the heritage listing, they warned that the Woodside project extension could cause further damage. "The world is now watching," Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said. "The onus is on the Australian government to make sure the values recognised by UNESCO are not jeopardised by ongoing industrial pollution. If the federal government is serious about protecting Murujuga and making sure it is not moved to an "in danger" list, Senator Watt should reject the gas hub's proposed expansion, Ms O'Shanassy added. Mardathoonera woman and Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper, who was at the UNESCO meeting, also cautioned that industry could still harm the rock art site. "Fertiliser plants are still being built around our sacred sites and polluting gas plants will emit toxic acid on our rock art for another 50 years," she said. "We will continue to fight for protection for this very special place, and the world is now aware of what we are up against." Greens Leader Larissa Waters joined the chorus of advocate voices in urging Senator Watt to cancel the approval for the North West shelf. "UNESCO had warned that Woodside's gas plant threatened the longevity of the rock art prior to the listing, but Minister Watt successfully lobbied other nations when he should have simply rejected Woodside's climate bomb extension in the first place," she said. Senator Waters added that world heritage laws should be bolstered to better protect listed sites. Australia has 21 properties on the World Heritage list, which includes the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Great Barrier Reef. UNESCO added several other sites to its list, including the Xixia Imperial Tombs in China and the Faya Palaeolandscape in the United Arab Emirates.
