Kwoorabup Nature School given capital grant extension as Denmark council considers special electors meeting

The fate of Denmark’s Kwoorabup Nature School’s lease and proposed extension hangs in the balance as the Shire of Denmark council convenes on Tuesday night to consider proposed motions favouring other community groups occupying the reserve. Unable to sign off on the school’s capital grant application while awaiting a final decision on the lease, the Federal Government has granted an extension for the school’s capital grant application to August 23. The previous deadline for the grant was August 8. A special electors meeting attended by more than 400 people was the culmination of months of debate between the school and community groups that all share space on the reserve. The outcome of the electors’ meeting fell heavily in favour of the community groups behind the petition and against the Kwoorabup Nature School. Attendees at the meeting voted in favour of repealing the 21-year lease previously granted to the school, including expansion into the area currently occupied by the Denmark Lion’s Club, which has a shed on the land and calls the Station Master’s Building home. In a vote too close to call and requiring a manual count, one motion not passed by the community was to “prioritise facilitating a dialogue among all stakeholders and the broader community to revise the concept plan”. With the voted outcomes tabled, the council will now deliberate on the feedback provided by the community on Tuesday night.