The school has undergone drastic changes since first announcing in August last year it was one of 58 NSW schools to be allocated a new Trade Training Centre.

By September the school’s project managers had awarded the contract for the $4 million upgrades to its facilities to Young construction company A.D. Tanner Constructions.

And so began the work in November 2013 to build a new multi-purpose hall, with associated pupil facilities, a specialised area for horticulture, commercial kitchen and restaurant/function room, and refurbished specialist learning areas for technology and art.

School principal Dr Peter Webster wanted to thank all those behind the upgrades, so he decided to host a barbecue on the site last Tuesday.

About 25 tradesmen who attended the barbecue, which also featured a photographic slideshow of the project’s progress.

“When you look back at it, it seems like years ago,” Dr Webster said as they viewed the slideshow.

“Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it…these buildings are a portrait of who you are,” he told the tradesmen.

“The older buildings here are the portrait of the generation before you. They built those buildings, you built these buildings and your kids will be putting up the next part of the school.”

Dr Webster praised having local tradesmen and local suppliers for the project, saying it was feeding the money back into the town.

“That money circulates and it circulates twice. It’s good for our town and it’s good for our families,” he said.

For the last 12 months, there were an average 12 tradesmen working in the school grounds every day.

“At any one time, it could have been between 35-40 tradies,” building project manager Adam Tanner said.

The men are in the final stages of the major project which is constructing the new science and horticulture building, complete with a green house.

“It’s been a big job,” Adam said.

“I feel pretty privileged providing the kids with this. [And] as a local man myself it’s a big thing to employ local tradesmen and local suppliers.

“It’s been a great experience.”

The project has drawn in builders, concreters, brickies, painters, carpenters, electricians, carpet layers, tilers and earth moving contractors from around Young. 

“We appreciate what [Dr Webster] has put on here, it goes a long way,” Adam said.