Wendy Ford, Ray Thomas, Les Moulds, Bob Ford, Adam Marshall MP and Evonne Moulds in front of the historic Goonoowigall School at the Inverell Pioneer Village.
THE old Goonoowigall School has been a major attraction at the Inverell Pioneer Village for many years, and now, with the assistance of a $20,000 grant from NSW Government, the historic building will receive some much needed restoration work.
Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall visited the village last week to deliver the good news to trust members and discuss restoration plans.
“The school is one of the central attractions at the village and is presently in poor structural condition, needing urgent repairs to ensure W&HS standards are met and public safety is assured,” Mr Marshall said.
“When the school was brought to the village it was placed on the ground without much of a foundation and the timber floor has a termite problem. The building will now be lifted from the ground, given a concrete base and the termite damaged floor boards replaced.
“It’s an important project for the trustees and I was more than happy to support their funding application through the Community Building Partnership grant.
“The village is run by a highly dedicated team of volunteers and I commend them on their proactive approach to preserving and restoring these wonderful historic buildings.”
Mr Marshall said the village was a major tourist attraction for the Inverell, attracting in excess of 12,000 visitors each year.
“The village was the perfect location to conduct the Kurrajong Re-enactment March recently and about 2,000 people came through the gates that Sunday,” he said.
Inverell Pioneer Village Trust President Les Moulds said the school was built in 1887 for the aboriginal community that lived in the Goonoonwigall area.
“It’s an important historic building and we’re very pleased to have received this funding from the State Government for its restoration and thank Adam for his continued support.” Mr Moulds said.
“Council has also come to the party and is helping us out with costs so we couldn’t be happier.”