A new e-petition is calling for the decommissioned Courallie High School site on Carol Avenue in Moree to be turned into a Space Science School.
The site is now vacant after the two Moree High Schools were first merged into Moree Secondary College, and then moved onto the one campus site in Albert Street.
However, the proposal faces stiff competition from a long-running wish by local parents and leaders for an agricultural boarding school, similar to Farrer, in the heart of the nation’s most productive agricultural shire. The demand for another agricultural school is expected to boom with Farrer moving to accept girls from 2028, and it is understood that representations have already been made by various leading figures to the government making the case for another ag high school to be established at this site.
The petition, established by SpacePort Australia and One Giant Leap Australia, is open to NSW residents via the NSW Parliament website. It forms part of a broader concept known as the SSS-AtoM Project, short for Space Science School: Engagement, Education, Academic to Manufacturing, which aims to give young Australians training pathways in space-related fields ranging from robotics and orbital mechanics to media and mission control.
Dr Gabrielle Caswell, Director of SpacePort Australia and a rural medical practitioner who has worked in NSW rural practices she established more than 20 years ago, said Moree had a long history with the space industry.
“We should remember the pictures of the first landing on the Moon, Apollo 11, Artemis’ brother ship, were directly beamed from Antenna One, Moree OTC, to the world.
“The Moree OTC station is now decommissioned, the site is 20 minutes from SpacePort Australia.
“The Honeysuckle Creek Archives has a wonderful repository of Australia’s long history of supporting space exploration. It has a great store of images, which are really worth reviewing.”
Dr Caswell has formed a number of education and training partnerships through SpacePort Australia, including with the Montana Spaceport and Test Range, Arkisys, AICompanyUSA, ChameleCo and the STEM Innovation Council. SpacePort Australia is also working with Arkisys to repurpose International Space Station Astrobee robots as medical assistants, and with Aexa Aerospace on a holographic doctor project known as The Hamilton Project.
“The STEM opportunities are enormous in the space industry, as I remind people what we have down here, they will want up there. And the challenge of keeping humans alive in space is just starting; deep space is a very different environment from LEO.”
The e-petition can be signed by residents of NSW only at parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/Pages/ePetition-details.aspx?q=upWNGN5aqPg2KQOvdneovg.
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