In the late afternoon on Sunday 7 July, Ormiston College experienced a devastating arson attack that severely damaged our much-loved Centre of Learning and Innovation (CLI) building which houses the College’s canteen, library and ICT services. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident but the damage to our facilities was substantial. After investigating the extent of the fire and associated smoke damage to the CLI, it became clear that the building would not be restored until mid-2025. The fire has left a significant impact on our community but has also highlighted the incredible resilience and strength of our students, staff and families in the face of adversity.
In the wake of this event the Ormiston College community has come together in a remarkable show of solidarity, and we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the students, parents and local community.
In response to the damage several adjustments were required to ensure that our students and staff could continue their daily activities with as little disruption as possible.
The canteen and café services were relocated to the Outdoor Kitchen and Sports Deck, at the north-western corner of the Somerset Sports Centre. The initial canteen menu was limited due to the damage of stock and equipment in the fire. As the term progressed the canteen returned to usual operations as much as possible and were soon providing a substantial menu for families and staff.
The ICT Services Team tackled the huge task of restoring services across the campus. From setting up a temporary helpdesk to restoring the network and installing point of sale terminals in the temporary canteen, the team ensured that the technology that is central to the operations of our College continued to run smoothly.
Dedicated interim Junior School and Secondary School Libraries were established by the Library team in classroom spaces within the Northern Courtyard precinct. These new areas incorporated furniture and library books and also provided a welcome area for students who access the CLI during the extended opening hours before and after school. By year end, the Library team were able to restock the libraries and have 6,000 books back in circulation.
These changes though challenging are a testament to the adaptability and determination of our staff.
The Ormiston College community has responded wonderfully and we would like to thank the students, families and staff for their kind messages and offers of assistance. We would also like to thank the wider community for their generous support and assistance.
In particular we would like to acknowledge the following people and organisations:
- The emergency services who responded quickly and efficiently to the incident
- Chartwells for setting up a new canteen, ready to serve students from day one of the new term
- Hire Republic for the loan of catering equipment
- The Library and ICT Services teams
- Redland City Library for the loan of books
- Moreton Bay Boys College for the loan of barcode scanners, book ends and class set of novels
- Cleveland District State High School for the loan of a class set of novels
- Scholastic Book Club for a credit and the donation of books
- Author Kristin Darell for donating a signed set of her Football Fever book series
- Officeworks for a gift card
- PC Locs
- Alto Cost Management