Townsville’s Shalom Christian College will continue to operate next year with plans to re-open the high school following its acquisition by Carinity.
Carinity today announced it had purchased the College at Condon from Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod.
Carinity’s Executive Manager Education Christine Hill said the school would continue with around 100 Prep to Year 7 students next year.
“We are absolutely delighted to be able to retain this vital service for Townsville and we are already working with traditional owners and other community elders to ensure the college thrives in the future,” Christine said.
“We plan to launch the high school when the school reopens in January with a Year 7 cohort and progressively introduce more year levels all the way up to Year 12. We want to reassure young people and families that the College is here to stay.”
Carinity operates four special-assistance high schools for more than 375 students at campuses in Brisbane, Hervey Bay, Rockhampton and Gladstone.
“We’ve been educating young people for more than 20 years and our expertise is in supporting students through alternative education featuring significant one-on-one support,” Christine said.
“We work to ensure our young people attain genuine qualifications so they have real hope for a positive future. There is an incredible demand for our type of schooling especially in regional areas.
“Graduates of our two oldest schools – Southside and Glendyne – have completed trade qualifications as well as tertiary qualifications. Students have been empowered and equipped to positively contribute in society.
“We look forward to serving God through serving the community at Shalom Christian College.”
Moderator of the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod, Rev David Baker said he was glad the College would be operated by an organisation in the Christian tradition with deep experience in education.
“This has been a challenging period for the church and I’m proud of the staff who have been able to continue to deliver quality education outcomes to students,” Rev Baker said.
“The end of this chapter in the history of the College is a positive one, and I’m confident that the ongoing future of Shalom Christian College is now assured.”
Carinity CEO Jon Campbell said the re-opening of the college strengthened Carinity’s commitment and investment in the Townsville community.
“Two years ago we opened The Residences at Fairfield Grange, a 96-suite state-of-the-art hotel-style aged care community, creating over 100 permanent jobs,” Jon said.
“We’ve just kicked off construction of a $30-million retirement village on the same site at Idalia and late next year we plan to introduce a Home Care service to support older people to live independently at home.
“The local community has invested significantly in making Shalom a success over the past quarter of a century and we look forward to continuing with their vision to provide culturally sensitive education within a community-based supportive learning environment.”