Stadium rises from ashes- School council president Sue Wren and member Carmel Aliotta survey the damage to the foyer of the stadium after the fire in June. The new stadium is set to open in March. 657

By Lia Bichel
A NEW basketball stadium in Berwick which was gutted by fire in June is set to re-open in March next year.
Teachers and students were devastated after a blaze ripped through the new Timbarra P-9 College stadium on 3 June, a week before it was due to open.
School Council president Sue Wren said students were having their sports classes in a portable building provided by the education department.
They are able to use the oval at the school, but are looking forward to being able to use the new stadium, she said.
“It’s on track to be opened in late March, 2012. Builders have been working on it for five or six days a week,” Ms Wren said.
“Between the builders, architects, the school and the Department of Education, the stadium is progressing quickly. March will come around quick.”
After the fire, principal Jan Adamson said students, teachers and the community would not let the disaster defeat them.
“The students are understandably upset. But one of our key values at the school is resilience, and we will bounce back from this, bigger and better than before,” Ms Adamson said.
Ms Wren said the fire wouldn’t destroy the spirits of the Timbarra P-9 College community.
“The stadium was within a fingertip of being opened. We could see it, touch it, but couldn’t use it. But all good things are worth waiting for.”
Police are still looking for the person or people responsible for the fire.
Witnesses told police they heard youths in the area at the time of the fire. Police said there was also graffiti and other writings on the wall of the stadium before it was set alight.
Anyone with information about the fire is urged to contact Detective Senior Constable Adam Ferguson at Casey CIU on 9705 3111 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.