An unexpected but very welcome present is helping a Border school support its students more.
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Wodonga Flexible Learning Centre received a donated car in October and according to campus principal Huw Derwentsmith, it’s been “absolutely sensational”.
Staff members drive the Toyota Camry to pick up students who might otherwise find it difficult to attend school.
“We have a bus, but it’s just a lot easier sometimes to just use the car,” Mr Derwentsmith said.
“When it’s used, most days, it’s used multiple times in a day.
“If we can reduce one of the barriers to access to school and attendance at school, then we actually reduce the tension for some of these kids and then we’re able to engage them in their learning a lot easier.”
The car belonged to the late Josephine DeGrazia, of Myrtleford, who died last year, and had been donated by her son Joselito.
“For most of us a car is a given, but I learnt that something as simple as this could mean the difference between a student attending school or not,” Mr DeGrazia said.
“I wanted my donation to give young people the chance to improve their lives and when I heard about the situation at the centre I knew that my mum would have wanted me to do this.”
Mr DeGrazia said his mother once donated an earlier car to a Myrtleford woman who did not have transport to attend cancer treatment in Wodonga.
“She was a person that was not in any way rich financially, but rather rich at heart,” he said.
Born in 1954, Mama Josephine came to Australia with her parents in 1963, the family starting their new life at Bonegilla Reception and Training Centre.
“She brought to the world three simple points – values, compassion and caring for animals,” her son said at her funeral in September.
Wodonga Flexible Learning Centre, a campus of Wodonga Senior Secondary College, aims to re-engage vulnerable young people between 15 and 19 years with education and community participation.
There are also two programs for younger students who struggle to attend school, with the centre having about 160 students in total.
Mr Derwentsmith said Mr DeGrazia approached the centre about contributing the car.
“He acknowledged to me he could have easily sold it but decided donating it was a much better way to be,” the principal said.
“Part of what he was doing was trying to encourage others to donate and support community organisations where they can.
“We were quite stoked, really, it’s not often you get donations such as that.”