New Condamine principal arrives just in time

16 February 2011

Nick of time ... Condamine State School principal Tammy Doudle.

By Annabel Finnila

It was touch and go as to whether new Condamine State School principal Tammy Doudle would be there to introduce herself to students and staff on the first day of term.

But she made it before the first school bell. With 12 hours to spare.

The town of Condamine, including the school, was badly damaged by the recent devastating floods. Residents were evacuated to nearby Dalby not once, but twice.

Mrs Doudle (nee Waters), former principal of Cooyar State School, said the roads were cut outside her former hometown of Nanango and also cut into Condamine.

'I was flooded in in Nanango and the outgoing Condamine principal, Amanda Heffernan, was also unable to move to her next post in Mount Isa and had a problem with her removalist, so we were both impacted by the floodwaters,' she said.

'On the Sunday (January 23), my family's possessions were finally moved by our removalists from Nanango to our new residence in Condamine under a police escort.

'We drove into town on the Sunday and school started on the Monday (January 24) so it was down to the wire as to whether I was going to arrive in time.'

Outgoing principal Amanda Heffernan said it was a strange and stressful changeover between the two principals, but was reassured by the community spirit in the town.

'I was so impressed with the way the school was readied for the kids to start on Monday, thanks to Education Queensland, QBuild and the SES and volunteers,' Mrs Heffernan said.

'Even the families who had lost a lot in the floods were offering to help. Our admin officer, whose house was inundated up to the tops of her windows, was already back at work on the weekend before school started.'

Mrs Doudle said she too had been overwhelmed by the kindness of people from all over Australia wanting to help the school and the community get back on track.

'We've had so many offers of assistance from around the country including donations of backpacks, clothes, stationery and money,' she said.

'We even had a young girl donate her laptop because she wanted it to go to someone who needed it more than she did.'

The school is continuing to collate a list of resources lost in the floods.