Project 21  - a gathering place at the heart of the campus where the community can play, eat, learn, perform, relax and enjoy our beautiful environment. 

The redevelopment of this space in the centre of the Carbrook campus has been a dream for many years. We are excited to see our students enjoying the repurposed spaces and we hope that they, like us, will value the way the project has preserved their heritage: the Brisbane Expo 88 building donated to the College that for many years served as the Cunningham auditorium, housed the first tuckshop and performance/assembly space and the lovely Mango Tree that stood close to the farmhouse when the property was purchased.  

When you come to the official opening of the Cunningham Pavilion and surrounding landscape, including Canteen Connect, as we celebrate our community at the Eat Meet/Meat and Greet on 19 April, you will have a taste of how the space is used for performance, relaxation, learning, playing and just being together.  

The project was designed to open up the lines of sight running north west between the entrance to the campus and the oval, including the farm and sports facilities and the east west axis running from the Middle and Senior School buildings to the Junior School buildings. This space also provides for our Springwood community when they visit the Carbrook campus.  

We could not find a better way for our landscape to demonstrate that we are one integrated and interdependent collaborative community.  

Our ITD students are designing and building the ball pit this semester and there are plans afoot for a large outdoor chessboard as well as more lines for handball undercover.  

The gardens are designed so that students can touch plants, enjoying the variety of smells and textures the planting provides. Some of the herbs may even end up in our cooking adventures! I have been delighted by the number of students who are offering to help with the gardens, and I have heard many stories of children gardening with their grandmother – it makes my heart sing. I hope we will be able to establish communities of gardeners among the students who will help care for as well as enjoy the lovely landscape. The three planter boxes have seating for students to enjoy the shade of their respective trees (once they have grown) and the stone edges also invite students to sit and enjoy the surrounds. 

The two learning hubs are proving popular with students and staff – they are lovely to work from with the natural breezes passing through as well as their views of the surroundings. 

After 4 March, when we hope that you can return to fuller campus access, we invite you to linger longer in the morning and enjoy refreshment at Canteen Connect. Tables and chairs have been ordered and will be placed invitingly in this space for Monday 7 March. Come on in and enjoy a coffee! 

Do click on the slideshow that shows you ‘then and now’ comparison. You may enjoy the reminder of what was alongside our celebration of what now is. When you come to the Eat Meet/Meat and Greet, you will be able to read the story of the Cunningham and the Mango Tree and their significance to our community on information boards. 

Already our ‘Heart of the College’ is turning out to be an EPIC space. Thank you to the many families who donated to the building fund to help make this project possible. The P&F donations that supported the project have helped us establish Canteen Connect as a space to linger together. The Queensland State Block Grant Authority also provided funding to bring this project to life. And the time committed to the landscape from grounds staff, parent volunteers and staff volunteers has given us the wonderful outcome of a landscape we can all enjoy. 

I have appreciated the support of our College Council as we brought this project to life together. 

Yours sincerely

Cherylynne Gostelow

Principal and CEO