The Kwoorabup Nature School has for the past 10 years explored options to expand and believes the best is to use the neighbouring Denmark Lions Club lease area.

The school is WA’s first Nature School and has experienced a 70 per cent growth in 18 months.

It has leased the old Post Office building and surrounding land from the Shire of Denmark at a commercial rate since 2003.

This is adjacent to the old station master’s house which was used as the town’s four-year old kindergarten from 1963-2006 and moved to the current site in 2007.

It is currently leased on a peppercorn lease to the Lions Club on a monthly basis since the lease lapsed in October.

Meetings are held two evenings a month. School board chair Andrea Gaynor said the school was supportive of the Denmark Lions Club.

She invited them to continue using the building for their meetings, free of charge, if they took on the head lease of the area surrounding the station master’s building.

“Kwoorabup Nature School and the Lions Club share strong community values of social and cultural welfare,” Professor Gaynor said.

However, if the school took on the head lease of the old station master’s house, this would provide income for the Shire, and bring a piece of Denmark’s educational heritage to life every day.

Prof. Gaynor said the school was experiencing strong demand as nature-based education increased in popularity.

“Nature-based education is shown to increase student engagement, critical thinking, wellbeing and social skills,” she said.

“A growing number of families are seeking a nature-based education, and Kwoorabup Nature School located in Denmark WA is experiencing strong demand for their place-based, seasonal curriculum.”

Many families were choosing to move to Denmark for the nature school program which children experienced every day, while developing strong skills in literacy, numeracy, science and arts.

This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 9 February 2023.