Next steps announced for old kyneton primary school

The transformation of the Old Kyneton Primary School into a vibrant and creative community hub is a big step closer with the appointment of a site operator and works set to begin to make the buildings safe and accessible.

Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas today announced the appointment of Working Heritage to oversee the management and adaptation of this beloved community asset, which was the town’s school for 161 years.

The Victorian Government is committed to keeping the Old Kyneton Primary School in public hands and creating a unique, creative community hub for the region, with the project receiving a $12 million investment.

Working Heritage is a not-for-profit organisation that cares for publicly owned heritage places on behalf of the people of Victoria.

It manages a range of historic sites across Victoria, including the Former Royal Mint in central Melbourne, Jack’s Magazine in Maribyrnong and the Clunes School of Mines.

Working Heritage works closely with community groups and others to conserve and adapt important public sites for contemporary use, while respecting and celebrating their rich heritage.

In managing the Old Kyneton Primary School and planning for its future, Working Heritage will engage with local groups to ensure community aspirations, needs and voices remain at the heart of the project.

Working Heritage will also work with Creative Victoria on the creation of a high-quality gallery space on the site to host both local and touring art exhibitions.

Essential works will soon be undertaken to make the site safe and accessible to enable community use while plans get underway for the longer-term upgrade of the site.

The appointment of Working Heritage follows a rigorous Expression of Interest process undertaken in 2020 to find a suitably qualified and experienced manager for the site.

Quotes attributable to Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas
"Working Heritage has an impressive track record of successfully and sensitively managing publicly owned heritage sites like our much-loved Old Kyneton Primary School to give them a new lease on life."

"Through this new partnership, we are excited to be able to deliver on the community’s ambition for this site and get to work on reactivating and transforming this local icon for generations to come."

Quote attributable to Kerry Anderson, Acting Chair, Working Heritage Committee of Management
"Working Heritage is looking forward to working with the community and key partners to bring new purpose to the old school site."