Boyer’s Riverland visit

SA Minister for Education, Training and Skills, and Police, Blair Boyer, recently toured several Riverland schools, and visited the Berri Police Station to hear firsthand about their operations.

Mr Boyer visited the Waikerie and Loxton high schools, and the Riverland Special School, at Berri, and the Berri Police Station.

He said as “Minister for Education he tries to get out to the regions as much as he can, particularly as he was a regional kid who went to a regional school”.

Mr Boyer said he was “thoroughly impressed by the pride the students and teachers had in their schools”.

“The grounds were immaculately presented on both occasions, and that really stood out to me,” he said.

“It was also great to see how both the schools cater to such a wide range of interests.

“It’s really important to keep kids engaged and wanting to stay at high school, and regional schools do a wonderful job of ensuring kids have an opportunity to see where different career paths can take them.

“Programs include everything from agriculture to innovative entrepreneurial programs.”

Mr Boyer said students were excited to tell him about their recent aquatics excursion during his visit to the Riverland Special School.

“The staff here do an incredible job of going above and beyond for their students, and really are the only support that some families receive,” he said.

“The work they do is life-changing for these families.”

Waikerie High School principal Craig Griffiths said school captains Marco Camerlengo, and Reily Brock, enjoyed giving Mr Boyer a tour of their school.

“We were notified prior that the Minister was doing a Riverland tour and if our school would be interested in being part of the visit,” he said.

“We certainly welcomed the opportunity to have him visit at Waikerie.”

Mr Griffiths said showcasing the school’s agricultural work to Mr Boyer was a highlight.

“He was very interested in our agricultural program and that was something that was set up prior for him to have a look and see what we were doing with our agricultural studies,” he said.

Mr Boyer toured Waikerie High School’s small winery and was able to see the students’ winemaking process, from the vine to bottling.

He also visited a class of students learning about entrepreneurship skills that involved designing labels for egg cartons.

“The Minister then looked at their horticultural area and then examined the broadacre farming, sheep, pigs, chickens, and garden area,” Mr Griffiths said.

He said Mr Boyer appeared to “thoroughly enjoy”, learning about what the secondary school offered in this part of its curriculum.

Mr Griffiths said Marco and Reily welcomed the chance to speak with Mr Boyer and show him their school.

“They spoke to him about what Waikerie High School had to offer,” he said.
“It was terrific to have him talking to the students and hearing those conversations.”

Mr Boyer said during his visit to the Berri Police Station he was “kindly given a tour by Inspector Wilson, who spoke about some of the challenges police officers in the regions face”.

“I was so thankful to all the students, teachers, staff and police for giving up their time to talk to me about what they’re seeing every day on site – and I look forward to sharing those experiences with my cabinet colleagues,” he said.