A New Chapter Begins at Concordia
When students walk through the doors of Concordia Lutheran College’s brand-new Junior College for the first time on July 14, they will be stepping into more than modern classrooms and new learning spaces. They will be entering a community built on generations of connection, care and belonging. For Bec Turner, that sense of belonging has shaped her entire life.
As excitement builds around the opening of Concordia’s impressive new Junior College campus, Bec is carrying with her decades of memories from the Hume Street site that has been home to generations of Concordia families.
The new Junior College represents a significant milestone for the College, bringing junior students together in contemporary learning spaces designed to strengthen connection across the wider Concordia community. While the facilities are new, Bec believes the heart of the school remains unchanged.
“We will take with us the sense of family,” she said.
Bec attended Martin Luther Primary School, now, Concordia Lutheran College Hume Street Campus from 1985 to 1991. Decades later, she still remembers the warmth and closeness that made the campus feel special.
“It has always been very personal and family orientated,” she said.
“There was such a strong sense of community here. Everybody knew everybody.”
That family spirit extended beyond the classroom walls. Bec recalls a time when many school families helped maintain the campus in exchange for reduced school fees.
“Back then, families would clean classrooms for remuneration of fees,” she said.
“Mum would come in and clean of Friday afternoons, and my sister and I would help. That was just what families did. Everyone pitched in.”
Bec’s mother, Ruth Turner, would go on to work at the school for 21 years before leaving the Hume Street campus in 2012. Now, remarkably, Bec herself has also spent 21 years working there as a Learning Assistant and Outside School Hours Care Assistant and Service Leader.
Together, the Turners have devoted more than four decades of service to the campus.
“Hume Street is a huge part of my heart and my life,” Bec said.
However, alongside the emotion and nostalgia, is genuine excitement for what lies ahead.
“There’s definitely excitement surrounding the new buildings and the new beginnings,” she said.
“The new Junior College looks very impressive when you drive past,” she said.
Bec believes bringing the College community together across one campus will create even stronger relationships between students and staff of all ages.
“Being on one campus will further open connections between children and staff across the whole College.”
While there is nostalgia in saying goodbye to the familiar Hume Street grounds, Bec says the move is ultimately about creating opportunities for future generations.
“There are so many memories here but now it’s time for the next chapter,” she said.
As Concordia prepares to open the doors of its new Junior College, stories like Bec Turner’s are a reminder that while campuses may evolve, the spirit of a school is carried by the people who call it home.
