From the start of the 2025 school year, Warriappendi School will shift from its current location at Marleston to the refurbished former TechinSA building in Thebarton, making way for construction of the T2D motorway.
The school, established in 1980 and attended by about 80 Aboriginal students from across Greater Adelaide, supports the move. It has outgrown its current John Street campus with the rejuvenation of an underused precinct east of South Road, next to the River Torrens / Karrawirra Parri, the new location.
The school's new site next to the river is a culturally significant place for Kaurna people, who are the traditional custodians.
The new design has carefully considered cultural requirements through close consultation with the school community, with appropriate cultural design, stakeholder engagement and Aboriginal employment outcomes a focus for the project team.
The new school will be housed in the existing building on the former TechinSA site, which will be updated to a contemporary, purpose-designed school that will accommodate 150 students. It will include spaces for general and cultural learning, STEM, art, drama and music, wellbeing, a library, kitchen and a new 900 square-metre gymnasium.
Landscaping will feature yarning spaces, an outdoor half court, open space with AFL goals, and a playground and walking trail that links to produce gardens and artwork.
The precinct, situated between the south bank of the River Torrens and West Thebarton Road, also has potential for further development to include a shared-use riverside path, pedestrian bridge across the river and planting of native trees.
The school will become an immediate neighbour of Torrensville Bowling Club, which has previously announced will relocate to a nearbysite on Ann Nelson Drive.
A select tender has been released for design and construction works on both the school and bowls club, with a contract expected to be awarded in late 2023.
The completed T2D Project will complete the 78km North-South Corridor and provide a non-stop motorway between Gawler and Old Noarlunga, allowing motorists to bypass 21 sets of traffic lights on the journey between the River Torrens and Darlington.
As put by Tom Koutsantonis
While it is impossible to construct a major piece of infrastructure like the River Torrens to Darlington Project without disruption, it is crucial we mitigate the impacts as much as we possibly can and that's exactly what we're doing there.
Warriappendi School occupies a special place within South Australia's public education system, having enriched the lives of generations of young Aboriginal people and set them on a path to success.
The school's relocation to enhanced premises is a terrific result – not only for the school, but also for the wider community in the inner western suburbs of Adelaide.
The students and staff will benefit from better facilities, while also playing a role in enlivening an area that has the potential to become a popular riverside location for sport and recreation within an otherwise highly urbanised part of our city.
This area of the western suburbs will be greener and have more open space for the local community to use, and Warriappendi School will be at the centre of that as an important institution in the region.
As put by Blair Boyer
It's really important that Warriappendi School retains its cultural identity, with the move providing a number of opportunities for students to be involved in the design of the new school.
This means the school will be able to keep attracting Aboriginal students from right across Adelaide who are looking for a strong sense of belonging and a positive cultural learning environment.
The location on the banks of the River Torrens provides the school with the chance to bring outdoor and cultural learning more to the forefront of its curriculum and I look forward to seeing the school grow and prosper at its new home.
As put by Jayne Stinson
Warriappendi is a really amazing school that works hard to preserve culture, strengthen students' confidence and provide flexible learning.
I've worked closely with the school to ensure they're not just relocating, but moving to a facility that's even better for students.
Thanks to the parents and grandparents, the school leaders and all the students for thinking deeply about what they needed in a new space and effectively communicating their needs to us. They've secured a bright future for themselves – and that's a wonderful achievement!
As put by Warriappendi School Principal Craig Bailey
Everyone associated with this school community is excited and proud to see this project formally launched.
It reflects the latest step forward for a school that was founded in 1980 by two Aboriginal women - Leila Rankine (1932-1993) and Veronica Brodie (1941-2007) - and has gone on to develop a sense of connection and belonging for its Aboriginal students, families and community.
The new site represents a new chapter for Warriappendi School bringing new classrooms, cultural learning opportunities, a broader teaching and learning curriculum, greater space, a gymnasium and an oval.
This, ultimately, is a story of equity, liberation, pride and developing opportunities for success.
The relocation has empowered the Aboriginal community by giving them the right to establish, voice and control educational systems through acknowledging their priorities, aspirations and diversity in the concept design phase.
