Staff and students of Gundagai High School standing on the newly built access ramps on the day they officially gained access.
Gundagai High School recently gained access to newly installed access ramps and a lift, making the campus grounds now fully accessible and able to cater for students of all physical needs. The public works initiative saw the installation of access ramps, a lift and some Tactile Ground Surface Indicators, as well as bright yellow paint added for a visual aid.
The original ramps, which were installed in the 90s, could not be used as they were not to scale and were inefficient as they were too steep and unable to be used, so some of the existing ramps also received modifications to make them able to be used.
The Times met with four students from the Student Representative Council – Liam Sadler, Year 9, Dane Smart, Year 8, Layla Field, Year 8, and Grace Elphick, Year 8, to discuss what this means for them and for the school. Not only does the completion of these works mean the school grounds are now completely accessible, but having the works completed now means students aren’t disrupted anymore after 9 months of having to walk and work around construction sites.
“It was a process that has taken about 9 or so months, and it has meant that a lot of students couldn’t get to their classes directly, they would have to go around buildings or through corridors and having those spaces back open, with those ramps now in place, it’s been a sacrifice that I think is really worthy,” said Liam Sadler.
Gundagai High School Principal Simon Bridgeman says the students have been really patient with the whole process.
“The students have been fantastic, they’ve had to go the long way to get to classroom’s but they have just gotten on with it and cooperated for 9 months, and it was great to see some enthusiasm when I announced last week that we had access to the ramps,” Simon said.
“It has taken a fair while, but it is definitely worth the wait,” said Grace Elphick.
“I think it is good that we now have facilities for people with disabilities to get around easier,” said Dane Smart.
Ramps were also added to the canteen and up near the music room, which is now better for easier access. They have also added a new accessibility toilet and shower with wheelchair access to the back of the canteen.
“Our general use toilets have steps to get into them, and it was too hard to modify them to add a wider door, so we constructed an accessible toilet in its own building,” Simon said.
Prior to the installation of these accessibility ramps, students with physical disabilities were unable to access all classrooms.
“Students who had physical disabilities that had to use wheelchairs either permanently or occasionally, basically didn’t have access at Gundagai High School, so it is a big step forward to be able to say we can welcome all now. We are fully inclusive now, not just in the way we approach education but physically – we’re fully inclusive,” Simon said.
Simon said the process started a few years ago after some research into the needs of potential future students.
“Quite a few years ago we did a bit of research into students in the area that were potentially going to be coming here, and I worked with the well-being department out of the district office in Wagga, and we put an application in saying that in 2025/2026 we are going to have students that will need greater accessibility in our school.”
“So, over that period, we’ve been drafting out plans to put it all in place, and then the Department, Government and public works have done all the coordination behind the scenes,” Simon said.
The works also saw the installation of Tactile Ground Surface Indicators around the school, which is important for people with visual impairments in helping them to determine when the ground is going to shift in height.
Liam Sadler said he is very grateful for the installation of these indicators to help him get around the school.
“Me, being a student with a visual disability, and there are a couple of others too, these tactile bumps are helpful in the sense of changing ground levels with the ramps, and prior to the installation of these I’d find myself kicking my feet along the ground every couple of steps, but I’m really happy that we have managed to get these tactile grids on the ground, it means a lot to me,” Liam said. Not only will the installation of the lift assist people with physical disabilities, but its installation will also make it easier for items to be moved throughout the school grounds.
“The lift was a good acquisition anyway, because our GA (Grounds Attendant) couldn’t do certain things without it,” Simon said.
In between some of the access ramps there are tan bark areas, and Grace and Layla have plans to start a gardening club and fill it with flowers.
“We are thinking of putting in a bunch of different plants and pretty flowers in here to make it look a bit brighter,” said Grace.
“We’ve had some students who have expressed interest in creating some gardens, and so during the whole building process, I’ve had in mind that there will be some fresh spots that they can stick their shovels in to and make look pretty,” Simon said.
-Emily Flint
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