Community
2 May, 2025
Cr Makin hears voices of students
CORANGAMITE Shire Council mayor Kate Makin spent Tuesday morning listening to the voices of young people in Derrinallum over egg and bacon rolls and fruit juice.
The ‘Breakfast with the Mayor’ session is the first in a series of youth consultation sessions to hear the issues that affect young people in their towns, as well as what they are hoping for in the future of the town and the shire.
Cr Makin spoke at the Derrinallum Community Hall to Year Seven-12 students of Derrinallum P-12 College, allowing them to ask her questions and respond to questions about Derrinallum and what they would like for the future of the town.
The egg and bacon rolls were cooked by volunteers of the Derrinallum Country Fire Authority (CFA).
Derrinallum P-12 College principal Caitlyn Fitzgerald said the session was “fabulous”, with a number of issues raised by the students.
“I think the kids did a great job of taking the opportunity to talk about the things that impact us,” she said.
“We lack that connectivity with the other towns in the shire, not having public transport.
“We do feel rurally isolated here.
“It’s not even possible for our kids to access some of the sporting programs happening in Camperdown – they’ve got to literally get in a car and go straight there. It’s half an hour to get there.
“We try to get the kids so they can socialise with other kids – try to get them involved in things, but it does put pressure on families to be able to get there and not everyone has the capacity to do that.”
Ms Fitzgerald said the primary focus was on the lack of public transport to get to activities, something she identified as an issue with families often working until 5pm and therefore unable to make the half-hour drive to Camperdown.
“I know working life is a challenge for all families, but when you add that travel factor in too it’s also really hard,” she said.
“The kids did a good job talking about the things that impact them and the things they’re aware of – sometimes you’re not aware of what the kids think about.
“A lot of that conversation was post school life – opportunities that exist in either real estate or vocationally.”
Following the session, Cr Makin took a tour of the school alongside Ms Fitzgerald, taking the opportunity to speak one-on-one with staff and students and view the school’s facilities.
Cr Makin said it was “great” to ensure the voices of Derrinallum’s young people were heard.
“It’s great to hear from the younger generation – the younger community of Derrinallum,” she said.
“We don’t seem to hear people from the 12-25-year-old age group as well.
“It’s fantastic to be able to connect with the kids from Derrinallum.”
As part of the discussions, Cr Makin has committed to visiting the school in eight weeks to provide an update to students on the progress of the issues they raised with her during the breakfast session.
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