Latest news with #Innisfail
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Parents fight for independent democratic school Darlingia to reopen
When it was time for Deborah Schiel Zaini to choose a school for her son, she wasn't convinced a demand-avoidant child like hers could thrive at any of the available options. "As a teacher, I could see there were a lot of demands waiting for him at school," she says. "He was either going to shut down or lash out and be the naughty kid that got into trouble all the time, so he needed something different where there weren't so many demands." So, armed with experience from her career in the classroom, she founded a school. Initially run out of a small art deco building on the outskirts of Innisfail in Far North Queensland, Darlingia Forest School was to be "a home away from home where children can run around barefoot if they want". "We were a democratic school while we were operating and we were hoping to be a democratic school again," Ms Schiel Zaini says. In her words, that's a school where "children have real voice and choice about their learning". "There's encouragement but not coercion, and if kids didn't want to do a particular task, we didn't force them," she says. "We didn't keep them in at lunchtime; we didn't send it (work) home with them to do at home. "We'd try and figure out why the child doesn't want to do that particular piece of work." Ms Schiel Zaini said the approach helped struggling children "heal". "Those were the school refusers and children being bullied at school, or struggling for whatever reason, and then there were some other families who wanted this type of education from the get-go," she said. But despite enrolments growing to more than a dozen children, the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board shut it down in June 2024. Ms Schiel Zaini and the parents who believe the school changed their children's lives have been fighting ever since to help it reopen. Tara Garozzo, whose two youngest daughters attended Darlingia, recalls how "we all cried and cried and cried" when the school had to close partway through the school year. "It was just a treasure, and it was taken away from us, just so abruptly," she says. "I loved that they were able to take their time to find where their interests were. "We'd all sit down around the table for morning tea and we got to talk about what our approach to the day might look like." Laura Austin, her partner and three children were travelling up the Queensland coast with plans to head to Western Australia around the time Darlingia was opening. When COVID-19 border closures and the wet season struck, they got a rental in Innisfail and stuck around, enrolling their children in the fledgling school. Three years on, the family is still in town, the children having found their groove at Darlingia before it closed. "It was like watching a flower bloom for the first time," Ms Austin says. Part of Darlingia's philosophy was for students to spend two full days a week outside the classroom. Ms Austin says one of the school's strengths was that parents were allowed to join the students on these outdoor lessons to see their experiments and projects first-hand. Ms Schiel Zaini says one of the weekly excursions was to somewhere in nature, like the beach, rainforest or swamps, where they would do English, maths and science lessons. "And then the other excursion would be to town, so getting to know and love our small town, Innisfail, so hopefully when they grow up, they don't leave the town like a lot of people do," she says. The outdoor mode of learning was part of what brought Darlingia unstuck in its fresh application to reopen this year. The school ran afoul of the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (NSSAB) during its first year of operation, when an inspection found failures to comply with accreditation criteria. The school made some changes in response to a show cause notice, but not enough to convince NSSAB that its governance and finance arrangements were up to scratch. Darlingia appealed against NSSAB's 2022 decision to revoke its accreditation at the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) but after waiting almost two years for an outcome, it was unsuccessful and had to close. In an 18-page decision seen by the ABC, NSSAB set out its reasons for refusing to grant Darlingia accreditation in May this year. They included "significant risks with [its] proposed approach of obtaining blanket consents from parents at the beginning of each year to take children off-site". NSSAB's other potential concerns included: The refusal has left Darlingia with two options — launch another appeal at QCAT or submit a fresh application for accreditation. But time is not on their side, and Ms Schiel Zaini has had to rent out the rooms of her school to artists, turning the building into a creative hub. "I've been knocked down too many times," she says. Darlingia's board is instead hoping to negotiate a pathway to accreditation by showing it can satisfy NSSAB's requirements. "We can have all this stuff, and mitigate every concern they have, or we can show evidence of everything they think is missing, literally within less than a few days," Darlingia chairman Michael Ha says. "I would hope that a governing body always has an open and equitable process for everybody that's fair, that's transparent, that's clear," he says. "We don't want to have to reapply and waste another six months because ultimately, it's the students who are going to miss out. "We're not the lone wolf here and what we're doing — it's been done so many times." In a statement, a spokeswoman for NSSAB said legislation restricted its ability to comment publicly on individual applications and assessments. However, NSSAB said it had provided Darlingia's board "with significant support to assist it to be compliant" before cancelling its accreditation in 2022. QCAT concurred in its 2024 ruling that upheld NSSAB's decision, finding it had "exhibited an extraordinary degree of patience" and that it was not its obligation to be an ongoing advisor to the school. Darlingia is one of four proposed independent schools in Queensland to be refused accreditation since the start of 2021. In that time, NSSAB has approved 22 of the 34 accreditation applications it has received, while three were withdrawn and five remain under consideration. Mr Ha, who is deputy principal of Toogoolawa — an independent school on the Gold Coast for boys who have struggled to fit in at mainstream schools — says he has "no worries about [Darlingia's] financial viability once the school operates". "[We're] keeping it at a relatively low student number," he says. Darlingia proposed to run its entire program on the base government funding independent schools receive, with consideration to be given to charging parents a small fee for meals provided to students. Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek recently met with Mr Ha, Ms Schiel Zaini and local state MP Shane Knuth, who has backed the school's bid to regain accreditation. Mr Knuth, from Katter's Australian Party, says he is "just absolutely impressed" with the school's approach and parental involvement. "We asked the students, 'If your parents said to you that you don't have to go to school tomorrow, would you stay home?" he says. Mr Knuth said it was "very unfair" for NSSAB to judge Darlingia's accreditation application based on its first iteration at its former school campus. Mr Langbroek said legislation prevented him from intervening in accreditation decisions. "But I will work with the Darlingia School applicants to obtain answers to the questions they have around the Non-State School Accreditation Board's processes," Mr Langbroek said. A spokesman for the Department of Education said it was working with stakeholders, including NSSAB, to implement accepted recommendations from a review of accreditation criteria for non-state schools. For now, the parents of about 20 prospective Darlingia students have made other arrangements for their children's education, including homeschooling or enrolling at another independent school. Independent Schools Queensland, the peak body for non-state schools, has been contacted for comment.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Paraglider plunges 20 metres to his death at Mena Creek
A paraglider has died after falling 20 metres over Far North Queensland. Emergency services rushed to Polich Road in Mena Creek, south-west of Innisfail, about 5.40pm on Monday and found a 63-year-old man with serious leg injuries. The man, from Utchee Creek, was using a motorised parachute when he plummeted some 20 metres. He was being airlifted to Cairns Hospital when he died. 'Investigations are continuing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident,' Queensland Police said in a statement. Innisfail Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
ABC News
07-07-2025
- ABC News
Paraglider dies after fall at Mena Creek near Innisfail
A man has died after a paragliding incident near Innisfail in Far North Queensland. Emergency services were called to the site at Mena Creek on Monday, just before 5:40pm. Paramedics said a 63-year-old man from Utchee Creek was using a motorised parachute and fell about 20 metres, sustaining multiple serious leg injuries. He was airlifted to Cairns Hospital but died during transit. Police said they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and would prepare a report for the coroner.
ABC News
17-06-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Regional players make up bulk of Maroons team for State of Origin II
Maroons coach Billy Slater will rely on bush battlers to keep Queensland alive in the 2025 State of Origin series. Most of the Queensland players named in the team for game two were developed in regional pathway programs and rural communities. Tom Dearden is one of 14 players from regional Queensland named in the 20-man team. Dearden will take on more responsibility than ever this week by replacing Daly Cherry-Evans as the Maroons starting number 7. But his mum Andrea Dearden isn't worried. She said the Cowboys co-captain would fulfil a dream held since his Mackay junior footy days when he takes to the field on Wednesday night. "He just loved playing the game, he gave everything 100 per cent. "It is extra pressure but Tom will do his best." Maroons coach Billy Slater, from Innisfail himself, said every player earned their place through hard work. "We're up against a good footy team, but I think we haven't shown our best yet," Slater said last week. The central Queensland town of Charleville is dubbed Kurt's-ville when local Kurt Capewell makes the Queensland team. But this time a large contingent of his hometown supporters will be in the stands to cheer on the Warriors second-rower. The 31-year-old was not named for game one and had to work his way back into the side by improving his form in club games. His father Darryl said the impact was significant. "Even though Kurt would never show it, he was bitterly disappointed not to play for Queensland in Brisbane," Mr Capewell said. The family, who still live in Charleville, said the small town always got a boost when being represented on the national stage. "It gives them another reason to watch the game, they get more involved," Mr Capewell said. Queensland debutant Kurt Mann is achieving a State of Origin dream the 32-year-old thought might never come true. Joel Mann this week reminisced on his brother's journey from the Winton juniors to playing off the Maroons' bench. "Mum and Dad dragged him all around central Queensland with 800, 900-kilometre round trips every Saturday," he said. The Bulldogs lock is preparing to make his Queensland debut as the second oldest State of Origin player to do so. His brother said all those lengthy trips for a game of footy have finally been rewarded. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." Queensland Rugby League's pathways manager Glenn Ottaway said the Sunshine State always represented the regions well. But he said in game two of the 2025 State of Origin series, kids from Winton, Charleville, and Mackay could really see themselves on the field. "When you see these players and hear they are proud of where they came from, it becomes real," Mr Ottaway said.
CTV News
16-06-2025
- CTV News
Police searching for 4 involved in jewelry store theft in central Alberta
RCMP are looking for four people involved in a jewelry store robbery that happened in Innisfail last week. Police say four people went into a local jewelry store on June 12 at approximately 2:30 p.m. While staff were distracted, one person stole several pieces of jewelry. Innisfail RCMP are asking the public to provide any information about the four people to 403-227-3342 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers. Innisfail theft Police are looking for 4 men involved in a jewelry store robbery in Innisfail. (Supplied) Innisfail theft Police are looking for 4 men involved in a jewelry store robbery in Innisfail. (Supplied) Innisfail theft Police are looking for 4 men involved in a jewelry store robbery in Innisfail. (Supplied)
