Youth hubs, arts centres and safe roads: Kempsey students tell council what they want for their town

A name change for the Slim Dusty Centre and raising a bridge were among the proposals.

Author

Ellie Chamberlain
March 23, 2026

What are some of Kempsey’s biggest issues? According to local students presenting at a council meeting earlier this month, community leaders must focus on youth crime, homelessness, and flood impacts. 

What happened: Leaders from Kempsey High School, St Paul’s College, Melville High School, Macleay Vocational College and Kempsey Adventist School presented their ideas for the Shire at the March council meeting.

Council received a presentation by Macleay Vocational College leaders Gabe Robinson and Hunter Scrivener. Image supplied Kempsey Shire Council.

The students told councillors, the mayor and staff they want:

  • Purpose-built youth facilities and community hubs

  • A fresh look and feel for the Slim Dusty Centre

  • Improvement to streets including cycling infrastructure, accessible footpaths and street lighting

  • And for Rudders Lagoon bridge near the Kempsey Adventist School in South Kempsey to be raised to stop it from going underwater and cutting off access. The students also suggested the installation of flood monitoring cameras at the bridge.

Local youth issues: Macleay Vocational College presented a support model for youth group homes as a solution for the Shire’s issues of youth homelessness, crime and mental health. 

Part of the Macleay Vocational College presentation for Youth Group homes.

  • Student representative and school captain, Gabe Robinson, explained a group home provides basic needs of safety, food and shelter while providing wrap-around services in health and education – including diversion programs and rehabilitation pathways.

Central space: Robinson said a central location is paramount for success. The student’s presentation suggested the empty Bunnings Warehouse site on Smith Street could be utilised or an additional wing could be built at the existing PCYC.

Youth Hub: Students of St Paul’s College echoed the need for a youth specific hub to address youth crime and homelessness.

The student representatives envision the proposed hub would include activities and courses for young people, while also acting as a hangout spot. Ideally, the hub would provide food, transport, donated clothes, connections to education and employment opportunities.

  • The students agreed with Macleay Vocational College that the hub would need to be central “to reduce the alarming rates” of crime and homelessness in the community.

Students presented a concept design for the youth hub they’d like to see in town.

Slim Dusty, who’s that?: Melville High School proposed turning the “desolate Slim Dusty Centre into a new arts centre”.

  • The students say the centre needs modernising and improvement to attract more tourists and community members, including local young people, who they say , mostly  “don’t even know who Slim Dusty is”.

The student speakers suggested a name change, a vibrant mural, and focus on art and interactive experiences like live music events to showcase local talent.

Students suggested creating a tourist trail map linking all the murals of the Macleay Valley and presented a concept design of the envisioned mural for the Slim Dusty Centre.

Safer streets: Kempsey High School students presented ideas for cleaner and safer streets in the Shire, including more bins and cigarette disposal options, increased lighting in dark streets, like River Street, and LED street lights for energy-efficiency.

Students want accessible-friendly footpaths prioritised, more mobile speed cameras in high risk areas like Crescent Head Road, Plomer Road and South West Rocks Road and increased bike lanes and guard rails.

Adapting to disasters: Kempsey Adventist School representatives focused on flood preparation and risk mitigation. Access to the South Kempsey school on Crescent Head road is regularly cut off when Rudders Lagoon levels rise and the bridge and road is closed.

Rudders Lagoon bridge and Crescent Head Road close during a flooding event impacting student access to Kempsey Adventist School. Students suggested investing in raising the bridge and road.

  • Student representatives spoke of the importance of “equal access to education”, especially for students sitting the High School Certification, and suggested investing in raising the Rudders Lagoon bridge.

Councillors and staff acknowledged the high quality of the presentations, noting the students’ strong research, critical thinking and financial understanding, and in some cases asked for student’s presentations to be sent to the council.

Mayor Kinne Ring called the presentations “enlightening”.

  • “It’s very impressive to see how engaged you are and maybe one day you should think about potentially one day running for council,” the mayor said.