Beginnings…
Blue Gum Community School first opened in 1998 in Canberra, Australia. Our founding Principal, Maureen Hartung, chose the name for the school at that time and it was delightful serendipity that our Hornsby school, which opened in 2022, would be founded right near Hornsby’s Blue Gum Walk, the protected Blue Gum Forest and the Blue Gum Pub! Maureen chose the name, inspired by the robust Australian native eucalypt tree – a tree that was both strong and beautiful. She loved its ability to weather storms and bend with the wind, reflecting the kind of resiliency she longed for students to build through their experiences at school. Including a tree in the name of the school also intentionally positioned us as a distinctly Australian school that values and builds on its cultural context, environment and inheritance.
Reflecting on Blue Gum’s beginnings Maureen once offered these words,
‘I remain passionate about providing an opportunity for learning based on authentic, real-life encounters – learning that is meaningful for students and learning that addresses every child's individual strengths and challenges both academically and socially.’
Her words are as true today in Hornsby, as they were when Blue Gum began in Canberra. Years later, Maureen and Jill’s stories (and dreams) merged and in 2022, their dreams became a reality when Blue Gum opened its school in Hornsby.
Connecting the two schools in our different logos is the Blue Gum leaf that you see in both. It is a leaf that has remained with Blue Gum, over time and over state borders! I want to draw your attention to the fact that it is intentionally designed to represent an authentic leaf - powerfully representing our commitment that we be authentic and real in all we do. As a school, we recognise that growth, transformation and life flow out of both beauty and imperfection! It is out of that of reality we are determined to build community – not because we have all the answers or formulas, but because we are committed to staying authentic, both beautiful and at times broken, in the pursuit of always finding better and better ways of doing life and school together. Thank you for being a part of our unfolding story!