From its early days as the South Burnett College of TAFE to its place today within Queensland’s largest and most experienced training provider, the campus has been central to the social and economic fabric of the South Burnett, shaping careers, supporting industries and bringing people together.

TAFE Queensland Facilities Officer Janelle Little, who began work during the establishment year of the campus, remembers the foundations being laid not just in bricks and mortar, but through teamwork.

“The new Kingaroy campus was built in 1985, and I started work on 2 September 1985 at the original Kingaroy TAFE Centre in the Artie Kerr Building in Kingaroy Street in town,” Janelle explained.

“That’s where the team met, and from there we shifted equipment out to the newly built campus on the Bunya Highway and Geritz Rd.”

The preparation ahead of opening in 1986 was extensive and hands‑on.

“There were two trucks turning up each week until Christmas with lots of equipment and other items to be set up in the workshops and classrooms,” Janelle said.

“All the maintenance, stores and cleaning staff worked together to set up the new college.”

The first students began classes in January 1986, with Trevor Sterling serving as principal.

Just two months later, on 21 March 1986, the campus was officially opened by the Honourable Sir Joh Bjelke‑Petersen, then Premier of Queensland.

“The campus delivered training five days a week, with all the classrooms full, and four nights a week for leisure classes,” Janelle said.

Training spanned business, hospitality, hairdressing, rural studies and trades, with the rural program even operating a Santa Gertrudis stud and a Hereford stud, reflecting the agricultural heart of the region.

For TAFE Queensland Workplace Training Officer Tamara Geritz, the Kingaroy campus is not just a workplace, it’s part of her life story.

“Most of my early memories are from a child’s point of view,” Tamara said.

“My step‑dad worked as a cleaner at the campus in the early years, so a lot of what I remember is the social side and the sense of family.”

Those memories include large, joyful gatherings that brought staff and families together.

“We had huge Christmas parties, held both on campus and at people’s homes,” she said.

“In the early days there were so many staff and children that we actually had separate parties, one for the adults and one for the kids, with Santa coming and delivering gifts.”

Hospitality students were often at the centre of campus traditions.

“There were big annual seafood nights catered by hospitality students,” Tamara said.

“The restaurant nights were huge. Every staff member helped with team members cooking steaks, serving at the bar and cleaning up,” she said.

“It wasn’t just about teaching, it was about modelling real‑world teamwork for the students.”

Tamara later returned to the Kingaroy campus as a student, where the experience again extended far beyond classes.

“Back then, every student attended college camps at Camp Duckadang, including the hospitality, metal fabrication, automotive, business, hairdressing, carpentry and electrical students, everyone went,” she said.

“There were theme nights and team‑building activities during camps. The bonding that happened there was incredible.”

“We also had a gym on campus and a human movements teacher,” Tamara said.

“At lunch times there’d be volleyball competitions on the front oval. If you studied at Kingaroy, you basically completed a PE course as well!”

Now a long‑serving staff member herself, Tamara has seen first-hand how deeply it engaged with the wider South Burnett.

“The volume of students was huge,” she said.

“People had to apply and hope they got a spot in a course. Night classes were just as popular as day programs.”

She highlights short courses, from furniture restoration and cake decorating to small engine repairs, many delivered by community members wanting to give back.

“Community involvement was very important,” Tamara said.

“We were also part of the Peanut Festival every year, had a stall at the Kingaroy Show, and even operated a shopfront in town.”

TAFE Queensland General Manager (South West Region) Kate Venables said the longevity of the Kingaroy campus is a direct result of people like Janelle and Tamara, and the wider teams they represent.

“Janelle and Tamara are part of a dedicated, skilled and passionate group of service staff and industry‑experienced educators who have supported this campus for decades,” Kate said.

“It’s their commitment, often behind the scenes, that has allowed the Kingaroy campus to thrive for 40 years.”

She said the milestone also reflects TAFE Queensland’s broader mission.

“TAFE Queensland is proud to be the largest and most experienced training provider in the state,” Kate said.

“Our hands‑on, practical and industry‑relevant training changes lives, builds careers and further strengthens the social and economic fabric of regional communities like the South Burnett.”

For Tamara, the legacy of the Kingaroy campus is deeply personal.

“I’ve made lifelong friends here,” she said.

“I’ve celebrated engagements and weddings, and I’ve been supported through some of the hardest times in my life.”

“Professionally, I was encouraged to grow, to work hard, to be resilient and to accept change,” Tamara said.

“This campus and its people moulded me into the adult I am today.”

As the Kingaroy campus marks its 40th anniversary, it stands as a powerful example of education

built on community, teamwork and care, a legacy that continues to shape futures across the South Burnett.