Content about States and territories of Australia

Students and staffmembers of Strathfield’s Sydney Adventist College (SAC) will have to look for new schools and jobs at the end of the year after the Seventh-day Adventist Church decided to close the school.

After weeks of deliberation between the board of directors and staff members, it has been decided to close the school.

The college will close due to scarce financial resources, which will now be allocated to other Adventist schools.

This weekend marks an important milestone for Strathfield.

It will see the first in a series of big events designed to transform Sydney’s view of the municipality – and hopefully position it as one of the movers and shakers of the inner-west.

It is, in effect, the launch of Brand Strathfield. Expect to hear much more of this in the coming weeks.

The Santa Sabina School community welcomed their new progressive and innovative principal, Dr Maree Herrett last Wednesday.

Past and present students as well as members of the local community attended the special welcome service for Dr Herrett.

Once a former student, teacher and parent of a Santa Sabina student, Dr Herrett, has held positions of senior leadership in diverse educational settings.

Prior to her appointment at Santa Sabina, she was the Head of Senior School at MLC Burwood.

Strathfield rail station is to get a major overhaul, with more space on the concourse, safety cameras and better lighting.

The move comes after representations to transport minister Gladys Berejiklian from Charles Casuscelli, MP for Strathfield.

 “Whenever I am out meeting with local residents Strathfield Station is always raised a top priority," Casuscelli said in a press release.

Infrastructure NSW CEO Paul Broad has outlined effects on Strathfield of the $10 billion WestConnex project – 33km of road connecting the M4 and M5 with 5km of tunnel underneath Alexandria and a duplication of the M5 tunnel.

Broad told the SceneStrathfield could grow quickly once the project was up and running.

The project was announced this week and has already received $1.8 billion in backing from the State Government. Remaining funding will come from driver tolls and private capital.

A dilapidated Strathfield Station will receive a make over to improve the state’s second busiest railway station.

Commuters have had to put up with major water leaks during storms, water damage to ceilings and walls, unmaintained ramps, slippery tiles and congestion in the underground passageways.

Member for Strathfield, Charles Casuscelli and representatives from the Transport Minister’s office visited the station to see what improvements could be made.

Sydney Adventist College’s Strathfield campus is up for sale. Earlier this year, the Seventh-day Adventist Church decided to close the school after enrollment numbers dropped significantly.

Currently, the east wing building has been leased to the college’s neighbours, the Australian Catholic University (ACU) until December 2013.

An ACU spokesperson did not wish to comment when the Scene asked about any commercial interest in the property.

Strathfield electors are expected to face a whole new crop of local council candidates who are surfing the wave of people power created by the very public rebellion over the expansion plans at the Australian Catholic University.

While grassroots politics has been a powerful force in other areas of Sydney, Strathfield has remained largely immune, voting instead along the traditional political lines for Labor or Liberal, or putting fiercely independent candidates into the chamber.

Strathfield’s best and brightest received their HSC results this week – and many of our top schools were represented in the all round achievers’ list for 2011.

Girls scored particularly well, receiving two thirds of the first-in-course positions. The split between public school and private school students was about 50-50, according to Board of Studies president Tom Alegounarias.

Boys, however, topped the table in highest tertiary rankings - of the 49 who achieved 99.95 , 30 were boys.

MP Charles Casuscelli has officially opened his electorate office - and pledged the issues in the electorate would be his total focus for the next four years.

In a politically star studded event -  including Premier Barry O'Farrell, Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian and a number of local MPs including Victor Dominello - Casuscelli pleaded for common sense in dealing with the electorate's problems.

Strathfield Council has united with seven other municipalities to create and fund a dedicated body to oversee the environmental management of the Cooks River and its catchment.