Not a day goes by that the students of Shepparton East Primary School don’t utilise their new sporting pavilion.
The pavilion is standing today thanks to the generosity and support of the community, and although the pandemic delayed the official opening, the belated ceremony was held on Thursday, May 12 — a day four years in the making.
“(We) had a vision to build a pavilion over the existing sporting courts to provide a multi-purpose space for students, staff and the wider community,” principal Les Walsh said.
“In 2019, this vision was finally realised, allowing our school to utilise the new facilities as a place to conduct undercover PE lessons, assemblies, concerts, ceremonies, performances, as well as allowing for a space that can be accessed by the wider Shepparton East community.”
The school council and key stakeholders set a fundraising target of $200,000 to build the pavilion and subsequently raised about $130,000 in sponsorship.
One of the sponsors in particular was recognised on the day, with $50,000 of the total coming from philanthropist Peter Copulos.
This donation gave him the naming rights of the pavilion, and Mr Walsh officially named the new structure the Shepparton East Primary School Peter Copulos Sporting Pavilion.
Mr Copulos has supported a number of causes over the years, including Goulburn Valley Health, the Shepparton Art Museum, Shepparton Search and Rescue and GV Hospice to name a few.
Through his family foundation, Mr Copulos has an ongoing interest in supporting important community initiatives throughout the Goulburn Valley, a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson for Mr Copulos said education was an important area of focus for Mr Copulos’s philanthropy.
“Peter does have a number of his great-grandchildren attending Shepp East Primary School so this has also been a reason for supporting this particular school,” the spokesperson said.