The opening of the $725,700 Vaivase Primary School building, which had been demolished by Cyclone Evan in 2012, brought back memories for the Australian High Commissioner.
Sue Langford told the gathering yesterday that the occasion was a special one for her.
“Thinking about this speech reminded me of when I was a child in Grade 2,” she said.
“My school was completely destroyed by a cyclone just before Christmas. I was living in Darwin with my family. The cyclone was called cyclone Tracey.”
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Tracey did not just demolish Ms. Langford’s school, it also took her house.
“In fact, parts of my house were found around the school grounds. The devastation of the cyclone left a lasting impact on me.
And still today – I divide my childhood in two parts – before the cyclone and after the cyclone.”
According to the High Commissioner, Vaivase’s new building “is designed to provide a safe and comfortable environment for all the children that will be taught here."
“I trust that this new school block will help make learning fun and exciting for the Year 7 and 8 students, and I look forward to the great academic results that will be achieved by Vaivase Primary through the use of these classrooms.”
The project was carried out by Ah Liki Construction.
“The Vaivase Primary is one of the cyclone damaged schools that was selected to benefit from this funding.
And it has been ‘built back better’ to standards that maximise the potential for resilience to natural hazards such as cyclone winds& earthquakes.”
Prime Minister; Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi thanked Australia for their support.
The Minister of Education; Magele Mauiliu Magele, cut the ribbon.
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