The Crossing October 21 2020

WESTERN DOWNS HIGH SCHOOLS COULD SEE A
$7.3M INVESTMENT IF LABOR WIN ELECTION
ZOE BELL
zoe@thechinwag.com.au
Three schools on the Western
Downs could see a $7.3 million
investment to help build skills
in students while they’re still at
high school, granted Labor win
the upcoming state election on
October 31.
This would include $2.8M for Chinchilla State
High School and $2M for Tara Shire State
College for engineering annexes to support
training opportunities in the mining, gas and
electrical industries.
Dalby State High would also receive $2.5
million for upgrades to the rural and industrial
manufacturing training facilities.
Speaking from Toowoomba last Wednesday,
Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe
said the investment would ensure schools
were well equipped to help students
maximise future opportunities.
“Only a Queensland Labor Government will
deliver the skills our regions need to prepare
students for jobs in our recovering economy,”
Mr Hinchliffe said.
“This will also support local construction jobs,
helping our tradies and building suppliers at
this crucial time.”
Labor candidate for Toowoomba North
Megan O’Hara Sullivan who was also present
at Toowoomba said she welcome the
investment further afield.
“I’m so proud to hear the investment into
skilling, especially at Tara because I’m Megan
O’Hara from Tara,” she said.
The funding is part of a skills boost to build
and upgrade 26 Queensland school’s facilities
and support the state’s economic recovery,
which Labor says will create 150 jobs.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Local
Schools Local Jobs initiative would target the
jobs of the future so students can seamlessly
access at-school training for industries
relevant to their regions.
“These projects will target the skills needed to
diversify and strengthen regional economies,
which is why it’s an important part of
Queensland’s plan for economic recovery,”
she said.
“We know that we have healthy regional
communities, and we want to see those rural
communities grow into the future.
“So, what we have done is we have looked at
the opportunities that exist in those regions
and the industries that are growing, and we
want to link those skills in with schools.
“It is a gateway to industry and a pathway for
students to get the skills they need for the
industries that are relevant in their regions.
“It means jobs for young people, jobs for
Queenslanders and jobs for Queensland.”
Pictured left:bStirling Hinchliffe MP and Megan
O’Hara on their recent visit to Toowoomba.
A STRIKING STORM DISPLAY TAKES OUT TOP PRIZE
ZOE BELL
zoe@thechinwag.com.au
A Chinchilla State High School
(CSHS) student has reached the
pinnacle of Visual Arts during
his schooling career by receiving
a prestigious award that is seen
as the equivalent of making a
Queensland team.
On Tuesday morning Seth Gerke was
presented at the school's assembly his 2020
Excellence Award for Visual Art.
Each year, all schools offering senior visual art
in Queensland are invited to submit up to four
student's artworks in the Creative Generative
Excellence Award visual arts program.
Still, the school only needed to submit one.
Seth's artwork was chosen from over 521
submissions from 180 schools, and he was
one of just 37 excellence award winners
throughout the state.
Also, as part of winning the award, the year
12 student's artwork will be displayed at
the Gallery of Modern Arts in Brisbane for
approximately six months in 2021.
This is the first time a student from CSHS has
achieved such a high honour and has left
Seth feeling amazing, and Principal Ian Insley
praising his achievements.
"I didn't think I would get it this year because
there were so many entries but I'm stoked
about it," Seth said.
"For me when we found out that Seth had
won this award, I knew how important it was
and how big of a deal it was," Mr Insley said.
"We have thousands of Year 12 students in
Visual Arts across Queensland and to be one
of 37 to be picked is enormous and is a huge
accomplishment.
"When I saw his clip for me it demonstrated
why visual arts are so important.
"You can see and feel who Seth is and
what he stands for, so I have to say a big
congratulations, and I'm very proud of him
and what he has achieved."
After receiving a regional encouragement
award last year, Seth's teacher Helen Hubbard
submitted another one of his assessment
pieces this year which took out the top prize.
The video titled 'Domination' was made by
collecting, editing, and composing 120,000
photos.
Adobe Lightroom was utilised to sequence
photos at approximately one millisecond
each, to create a running time-lapse.
Seth created the music composition to
accompany and enrich the visuals and overall
narrative of nature which is the subject
matter.
"Nature is the almighty," Seth said.
"I cannot control its unpredictable power; I
can only adapt to the control it has over me.
"Yet, our world tries to replicate and reshape
this irreplaceable environment.
"My core focus is to explore my local
landscapes to communicate my passion and
involvement in natural environments to my
audience.
"My time-based media documents these
landscapes through exploiting my time-lapse
photography, film and sound compositions.
"All 120,000 photos capture the authority,
aesthetic and immense scale of nature.
"I am my true self when in nature and when
making art in landscapes and because of
spiritual connection to nature, I can capture
and represent the almighty language of the
environment that mankind cannot create."
Growing up on land just outside of Chinchilla
and spending his spare time documenting
storms and natural landscapes locally and
across the Western Downs with Gerkies
Storm Chasing, it was here that Seth began
his explorations and found his passion for
nature.
To view Seth's award-winning video, you
can head to the Gerkies Storm Chasing
Facebook page or visit their website at www.
Gerkiesstormchasing.com.au.
Pictured: Principal Ian Insley and Seth Gerke.
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THE CHIN WAG - WEDNESDAY October 21, 2020 - Page 2