Two months after the devastating fire that destroyed a large portion of Morningside State School, fundraising efforts have been getting an enormous amount of support from individuals, businesses, and community organizations.
The blaze that broke out in the early morning of 16 October, gutted a number of buildings of the 92-year-old school on Pashen Street; police investigators describing the blaze as “well-involved”.
A teenage boy, who was on bail and well-known to police, has been arrested and charged with arson and unlawful use of a motor vehicle. The sixteen-year-old was arrested after police gathered evidences linking him with the Morningside State School fire and the carnapping of a white dual-cab Toyota HiLux.
The motive behind the alleged arson is still being investigated and authorities believes that there are more than one person involved. Six classrooms and facilities, including a music room, were destroyed by the fire along with its almost a century of history.
A fundraising drive was launched by the School P&C for the building fund to help with the reinstatement of the burnt down buildings and improvement of the security infrastructure on the site. The amount of support and offer of help has been overwhelming so far.
For the Fangtastic Fete event which was held on the Balmoral High School grounds, people and organisations gave donations from cash to memorabilias (intended for the auction), as well as volunteering work and talent.
Established in 1926, Morningside State School was entered into the State Heritage list in 24 April 2018 for its significance in “demonstrating the evolution of state education and its associated architecture in Queensland.”
“The Sectional School Buildings are good, intact examples of their type. Principal characteristics include: their timber-framed construction; highset form with play space underneath; Dutch-gable and gable roofs; blank end walls; connected northern verandahs with single skin verandah walls and double-hung windows; large banks of south-facing casement windows (replaced in Block D); projecting teachers rooms (Block C); hat rack enclosures; timber joinery; and coved ceilings, with metal tie rods and square lattice ceiling ventilation panels. The original classroom sizes are still readable, due to the surviving nibs and bulkheads,” citation said.