Gallery | Gowrie St Primary School students net skills and connections at Arcadia hatchery

Sep 23, 2024

Year 6 student Aneti Fotu with her fish out of water alongside **Ryan Burniston, the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s Arcadia site program manager.** Photo by Amy De Paola

A long-standing partnership has been making waves in the educational experience of Year 6 students at Gowrie St Primary School.

The initiative, uniting the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project, the Rotary Club of Shepparton Central and the local primary school, provides students with hands-on exploration of the region’s diverse industries and resources.

This includes excursions to Shepparton FoodShare, the Australian Fruit Solutions juice-making facility, Shepparton Library and, most recently, the Arcadia Native Fish Hatchery.

On Monday, September 16, the students, accompanied by Rotarians, were spinning reels and yarns during their visit to the hatchery.

Fuelled by a barbecue lunch cooked by the Rotarians, the students explored the facility before tackling the rods.

The eager young anglers proved to be no fish out of water, catching two natives quickly in the pondage.

However, the most successful aspect has been the ripple effect of these outings, which fosters a sense of community, connection and belonging.

Photographer and Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project communications co-ordinator Amy De Paola contributed photos of the recent excursion to The News.