Kapunda woke to a chilly, grey Autumn morning last Wednesday, a befitting mirror for a community cloaked in sadness, following a devastating fire that destroyed the more than 140 year old ‘Eringa’ administration building at Kapunda High School on March 29.
The school’s fire alarm was triggered at about 9.15 p.m. with crews arriving to find a nearby building ablaze, with fire soon spreading to the heritage building.
Despite the best efforts of 34 MFS firefighters from 8 appliances, 2 support vehicles, and multiple CFS crews, Eringa could not be saved, with the roof collapsing and the interior completely gutted by the blaze.
The damage bill is estimated at $2 million, but the cost to the community is far greater than monetary.
“It was heartbreaking, because so much history is in that building,” said Year 9 student, Chelsea Menzel, who lives nearby and watched on helplessly as her school burned last Tuesday night.
“It feels like I had a nightmare. I feel really useless, because I wanted to go in there and help but I wasn’t trained.”
Chelsea returned with her friend, Maisie Leslie, also Year 9, early on Wednesday morning to see the extent of the damage in the daylight.
“I was literally in the office for half the day yesterday, and it’s just weird to think that everything that was in there is just gone now,” said Maisie, who also watched the tragedy unfold the night before.
“(Last night) I ran up to the school, and as I got here it was up in flames and the roof was starting to fall. It was pretty scary. I was obviously in shock.”
Maisie and Chelsea, along with all students of Kapunda High, had the remainder of last week off, while staff scrambled to re-group following the fire, with key administration and operational components destroyed.
“We’ve lost significant facilities and infrastructure across the school,” Mr David Marino, principal, told The Leader last Wednesday.
“The classroom block also burned, so we’ve lost three or four classrooms there.”
For much of the day on Wednesday, SAPOL and MFS investigators worked at the scene, but the cause has been reported as undetermined.
The fire is being treated as suspicious by SAPOL.
Throughout the Kapunda community and beyond, the loss of Eringa is being keenly felt.
“It’s a devastating event, as far as I’m concerned. It was like my second home for 18 years,” said Cr Deane Rohrlach, Deputy Mayor of Light Regional Council and principal of Kapunda High School between 1984 and 2001.
“To my mind, it’s the most historic building in Kapunda because it touched so many people’s lives... People who either worked there or went to school there or parents of those who did.”
Eringa was donated to the education department in 1921 by legendary pastoralist, Sir Sidney Kidman.
Originally built by successful Kapunda draper, Alexander Greensheilds in 1879, this is actually the second time the building has burnt down, suffering a major fire in 1904, just a few years after Kidman purchased it.
Kidman rebuilt then, and many will hold hope it can rise from the ashes once more.
“It was the heart and soul of Kapunda High School, and so I really hope that it can be rebuilt for the second time,” said Cr Rohrlach, who had many anecdotes to share about his time in office in the stately homestead, which holds rich heritage both as a school and as part of the Kidman story.
“It was just a building that fascinated people, and from my time there and what I’ve heard since, it really had a positive impact on the students who went there.
“It’s not just an important part of Kapunda’s history, but Australia’s history.
“It really made the school a special place.”
