Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am regularly inspired by the high standards, achievements and dedication of communities and staff of schools in the Cowan electorate. Today I would like to spend some time speaking about the biggest school in Western Australia, being none other than the Ballajura Community College.

The suburb of Ballajura is in the east of Cowan. There are four state primary schools that feed students into Ballajura Community College. Unlike most secondary schools in Western Australia, which start at Year 8, Ballajura Community College starts at Year 7. It has over 1,800 students and almost 200 staff.

I have had an involvement with BCC since 2005 when I first met the principal, Dr Steffan Silcox. What I would say about BCC is that, if there are new ideas or innovations for a school to pursue, Steffan Silcox and the staff will be looking to achieve and then extend those ideas.

It is also right to reflect upon the environment in which BCC exists. Ballajura is a highly diverse suburb, with a range of socioeconomic circumstances. While the students come from these sorts of backgrounds, there is ample evidence unity has been achieved and that by any measure strength and success has resulted from the efforts of the staff, the school community and the students. BCC is a story of great success. Somewhat maligned by adverse media reporting in the past, it has always been my experience that BCC does great things for the students and has risen to be the core of the community in Ballajura.

Everyone in Ballajura knows that the creation of the Ballajura War Memorial and Peace Park has become something of an Australian spiritual centre in the area. It would not have existed had it not been for Dr Silcox, the staff and students at BCC, who saw that having the memorial was very important in the area. I was very pleased to have had involvement in getting funding for the park under Regional Partnerships. It is important to acknowledge that in spite of Ballajura being like most suburbs in Perth, afflicted with graffiti vandalism, the unfenced Ballajura War Memorial and Peace Park remains unmarked, testament that some things are sacred for all Australians. While I have said that one of the great successes for the BCC school community is the peace park, BCC’s successes are not just in physical structures; they are in the achievements of its students.

I was witness to an example of this on Saturday, 15 August. I attended the final night of the BCC production Grease, which took place at the Astor Theatre. I have attended their productions since 2006, and it was great to see that 2009 was again a high-quality and memorable performance. Judging by the credits and acknowledgements on the program, it was clear that not only was the production a great staff and student effort but it was a whole-of-school-community effort. While I would like to mention all of them by name, I do not have 20 minutes, only five; nevertheless, at the risk of offending some of the hardest workers, I will mention the director, Michele Zorbas; the musical director, Nicolie Hatch; choreographers Peta Scrimgeour, Jessica Green and Tenielle Lloyd; and the vice-principal and financial administrator, Cheryl Steele.

It would be wrong of me not to mention the principal cast members, who did such a great job on the night. Sandy Dumbrowski was played by Ruby May, and her strong voice was a feature of the night. Danny Zuko was played by Vincent Douglas, who was excellent. James Douglas played Teen Angel, and we were told that he was called into the performance on Friday morning for the last two shows after Jeremy Brown became ill. In four hours James Douglas learnt the song and the steps in his scene, and he carried it off brilliantly. The principal actors all did a great job. I acknowledge Ashlee Kovalevs, who was Miss Lynch; Chloe Diedrick as Patty Simcox; Thane Liem as Eugene; Leah Hamley and Lauren MacKay as Jan; Madeline McKenzie as Marty; Hamzatu Mensah, who did a great job at Rizzo; and year 8 student Timothy Tan, who sang and played the guitar, displaying outstanding effort and great ability. Roger was played by Sheshadhrri Panneerselvam; Kenickie was played by Guiseppe Zampogna; Sonny was played by Joshua Jervis; Frenchy was played by Gemma-Paige Wood; Vince Fontaine was played by Elvan Luu; and Cha-Cha Di Gregorio was played by Shamara Wijesundera.

Necessarily, schools are sometimes assessed by the academic achievements of the students, but, while the students of BCC can proudly hold their heads up to that criterion, that is just one small side of a school. The reality is that schools help parents raise and educate young Australians, readying them for a productive future for this nation and for themselves. Through activities such as school productions, young people are taught teamwork and the need for commitment, as well as personal and group excellence. These are lessons vital to the future of these young people, lessons very well learnt at BCC. I congratulate staff, parents and all the students involved in the 2009 production of Grease.