The National Trust welcomes the response by the ACT Government to continue using the heritage listed schools at Hall and Tharwa for educational purposes.

Both these schools have been classified by the National Trust for their heritage significance and social values to the village communities and both are listed on the ACT Heritage Register for the same reasons.

Hall (1911) and Tharwa (1912) schools are closely associated with a period when small rural schools were provided to meet the needs of the region prior to the large suburban schools being built from 1922.

The Trust has expressed its concerns several times over the 2006 closures of these schools and has placed both on our national Heritage at Risk List.

The Heritage Officer, Dr Peter Dowling stated today, “While we welcome the future use of these two schools as educational facilities we are still very concerned over the future of the Flynn School. The Government has stated that they do not intend to reopen this school.”

Designed by prominent architect, Enrico Taglietti, the school was built in 1971–1973 in the shape of an aeroplane to commemorated the Reverend John Flynn (1880–1951) who founded the Royal Fling Doctor Service and the Australian Inland Mission.

The ACT National Trust supported a heritage nomination for Flynn Primary School in December 2007.

For further information contact: The National Trust (ACT)