Official Opening of the Design, Engineering and Technology Centre at Toowoomba Grammar School

Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor, Councillor Geoff McDonald; CEO Mr Sal Petroccitto OAM and Councillors; Toowoomba Grammar School Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mr Barry O’Sullivan; Principal, Dr John Kinniburgh; teachers, staff, students, your parents and carers; distinguished guests.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands on which we are gathered, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people here this morning.

I am thrilled to be visiting your wonderful institution once again, having had the pleasure of being part of your 150-year celebrations late last year.

It was then I first became aware of the development of not one, but two new state-of-the-art buildings and it’s wonderful to be back here to see this extraordinary Design, Engineering and Technology Centre come to fruition.

Together with your Agriculture and Industry Centre, it speaks to Toowoomba Grammar School’s commitment to providing boys with a wide array of opportunities, skills and ways of thinking to empower them to traverse the landscape of their future lives with confidence.

We know today’s fast-paced world demands creativity and innovation and it is through engagement and experimentation in such fields as robotics and virtual reality, makerspaces and digital media production that our young people will learn the value of mindsets that broaden their approaches to thinking, learning and problem-solving.

The Design, Engineering and Technology Centre offers possibilities for students to engage with each other in ways that promote the positivity of collaborative learning and teamwork, leading to well considered, worthwhile outcomes and the ability to solve both everyday problems in our own local communities and future-focussed challenges on a global scale.

Under the stewardship and foresight of Headmaster, Dr John Kinniburgh, the plan to create specialist spaces in a state-of-the-art facility, purpose built to provide students with every chance to be proactive and visionary in their use of emerging technologies, has been realised.

In officiating participating in this morning’s official opening, I congratulate the outstanding school leadership team and staff who contributed to the Masterplan, and Novum, the architectural firm who brought this marvellous facility to life for students and families to enjoy for many years to come.

I think it’s safe to say that the future looks very bright for the students at Toowoomba Grammar School, with such enriching experiences on offer.

It now gives me great delight to declare the Toowoomba Grammar School Design, Engineering and Technology Centre officially open!

Thank you.