Ellendale just the beginning: Meander heading for Ellendale debacle

The Government must reverse decision before it is too late

The Meander Area Residents and Rate Payers Association (MARRA) today reiterated its call for the government to step in and prevent faith-based organisation Teen Challenge from converting the Meander Primary School into a drug rehabilitation and domestic violence refuge centre before renovations to the school commence.

MARRA president Bodhi McSweeney said today that the Ellendale debacle was a mirror of what is happening in Meander and that the government must reverse their decision to hand over the school to Teen Challenge, before they cause further division.

“The government now recognises the serious problems that face the Ellendale community yet incredibly they have just thumbed their nose at Meander.”

“Even worse the government is creating another Ellendale because they owned our school and effectively gave it to a faith-based organisation for a dangerous social experiment.”

“The government and Council must accept responsibility for ripping the school out of the community and handing it over for a privatised drug and domestic violence rehabilitation centre.”

“To convert our school, which is the hub of our community, into a drug rehabilitation centre and domestic violence refuge, is utterly unacceptable and inappropriate.”

“Meander is a very small village and to place victims of domestic violence and drug abuse in such a public space will be humiliating and harmful to those seeking to escape their problems as well as damaging our community.”

MARRA’s original letter to the Premier …

Ms Bodhi McSweeney