THE St Joseph’s Tobruk Memorial School community at Beenleigh is coming to terms with a deliberately lit fire that destroyed one of its buildings, causing more than $500,000 damage last weekend.
A block, comprising three classrooms and a large quantity of sports and computer equipment, music equipment, the tuckshop, uniform store, all the school’s wheelie bins and maintenance equipment, was gutted.
Principal David Boulton said a neighbour saw someone running from the school, south of Brisbane, just after the fire started around 10pm on October 21.
The building has been attacked twice in the last 10 years, with the last fire being put out by then parish priest Fr Dan Grundy after causing about $60,000 damage.
Beenleigh parish priest Fr Tony Girvan, who lives in the presbytery on the school grounds, said he arrived home about 30 minutes after the fire began.
He said to help the community recover a healing Mass would be held at St Patrick’s Church, next to the school, at 9am on November 2.
