Important Dates for Term 4 2024

The 1954 70 Year reunion. 

The 1954 past students, wives and partners celebrated 70 years since enrolment at the Denmark Agricultural Junior High School at Denmark on October 10th to 13th. 1953, 1955 and 1956 year groups attended also, along with their wives and partners. 

As usual, there are a lot of things happening on farm. Generally speaking this is a great time of year, but it is not without challenges. Currently we have calving at the dairy, shearing and wool handling training, and silage production underway. 

We are thrilled to announce and welcome our newly appointed Year 12 prefects to their roles for the upcoming school year! After a thoughtful election process that involved both student and staff input, we’re proud to present this group of exceptional leaders who will represent our school community with integrity, enthusiasm, and a commitment to making a positive impact.

This week officially marks the end of the ATAR exams for some of our Year 12 students, signalling the beginning of their lives beyond school. The General students are a few weeks ahead of them, and it’s fantastic to already see some of them working in the Denmark community, starting apprenticeships and other paid jobs.

The recent Year 12 dinner and their last days on site were enjoyable. It is wonderful to see so many students walk away with a range of personal and academic achievements. We are very fortunate to have the resource of WACoA Denmark in place as an option for young people to access training in Agriculture and Trades.

At the end of Term 3, I had the honour of representing the College at the funeral of Mr. Ron Wise. Ron was the last of the original students who transferred from Narrogin Agriculture College to Denmark Agriculture College in 1942, when the Australian Army used the Narrogin facility as a convalescence centre for returning soldiers from World War II. His passing marks the end of an important chapter in our College’s history, and he was deeply respected, as evidenced by the large turnout of family and friends at his farewell.

Important Dates for Term 4 2024

Hi Everyone, Only last month I wrote of the attendance at Open Day of the oldest surviving past student – Ron Wise. Unfortunately, I now have to let you know that Ron passed away on 23rd August, aged 96 years. Warwick Jones, Mel Thomas, Clarrie Simkin and Bruce Quicke attended the funeral in Albany on 9th September as representatives of the Association.  Ron was a Life Member of the Association, with his name on the Honour Wall. He attended milestone reunions including unveiling both the 75th and 80th Anniversary Plaques at the College.  

As we enter into the spring months the days are getting longer and the grass is finally growing. The farm has come ahead in leaps and bounds in recent weeks and all the tough times during the summer are quickly forgotten. The late start to the season put huge pressure on the livestock herds, but with careful feed management and some unavoidable expenditure, we got through the tough spell.

Account Clearance Dates

As we head into the pointy end of the year, a gentle reminder that the first and second instalments of the Residential Accommodation Fee should be paid in full prior to the commencement of Term 4.

The Student Services team take the safety and well-being of our students very seriously. As part of our ongoing efforts to provide a supportive environment, we were excited to have Red Frogs visit the school recently. Red Frogs is a volunteer network that plays an important role in looking after young people, particularly in social settings.

Year 12 Certificate II in Engineering Pathways students are so close to the finish line with only a few tasks left to complete.  By the time we publish this newsletter I predict some students will have their Certificate II in Engineering Pathways already done!  We are very happy to hear that some students have now secured employment and further training opportunities in this area. We are fortunate that our local area has many innovative businesses that can offer our students a positive start in an exciting industry.

Congratulations to all of the ATAR Year 12 students that completed their SIDE English and Chemistry exams last week. While it wasn’t as much preparation time as they thought they needed, I’m sure everyone is relieved to get at least one off the block. Please remember that there will not be a student free day at the start of next term, instead, there will be another exam starting at 8.15am.

Over 30 of our Year 10 students completed their Work Experience in the last week of term 3. We wish them success with another challenge to develop their skills whilst exploring occupations to consider for the future. Employers are always supportive of our students, the opportunities created for students can guide their future path.

This term has certainly flown past and has been a very busy time. I recently represented the college at the funeral of Mr Ron Wise. Ron was the last of the original group of students who transferred from Narrogin Agriculture College to the Denmark Agriculture College in 1942, when the Australian Army used the Narrogin facility as a convalescence for returning soldiers from the Second World War. Ron was obviously very well respected, and his large family and many other mourners attended his final farewell. 

Important Dates for Term 3 2024

Hi Everyone, once again we displayed our memorabilia and artefacts at the College Open Day on Saturday 3rd August. The gymnasium was full of stalls. Tim Flanagan, Mike Martin and myself manned our area with lots of interest in the new retractable banners we had had made. These banners were donated by myself and Mike Martin. (A further banner is being prepared with a donation from Don Jones). One banner, depicting 1942-1945, is now held in the Administration Office for everyone to see. Mel Thomas also displayed his memorabilia.

After such a challenging start to the winter season the farm is finally starting to grow some quality feed. Maintaining and feeding the livestock has been very difficult and having to buy in additional feed hay, straw and grain supplements has been a very costly exercise. However, we got through and maintained our breeding herds and even kept up our milk production.

As we head into the pointy end of the year, a gentle reminder that the first and second instalments of the Residential Accommodation Fee should be paid in full prior to the commencement of Term 4.