Queensland Small School Pays Forward

Earlier this year, the Teaching Principal of Bedourie State School , Mrs Danielle Carige, contacted ABCA to ask if we would be interested in receiving collections of books from the school. We jumped at he opportunity but explained that we had no collection points in Queensland. Danielle replied that shipping is simply a part of life in Bedourie and that the school would be happy to send the books to Melbourne.

Bedourie State School is a small, rural and remote Kindergarten to Year 6 school serving the township of Bedourie, Queensland. Located on the edge of the Simpson Desert and close to the Queensland–Northern Territory border, Bedourie is one of just three towns in the Diamantina Shire, in the heart of the Channel Country. The school caters for children from families employed by the Diamantina Shire and nearby cattle stations.

Over the past four months, we have enjoyed a steady stream of parcels arriving from Bedourie State School. As Danielle joked, they couldn’t overload the post office in the local pub because "it’s the size of a bathroom!"

In total, 12 boxes filled with readers and teaching resources in excellent condition made their way to our ABCA Melbourne shed.

A heartfelt thank you to the staff, students and wider Bedourie State School community for their generosity and commitment to helping provide books to children who need them most. Your support is greatly appreciated.

June 2026

2 Classrooms Bedourie State School

Enjoying visiting artists