By Jett Silva

On Thursday, 5 December, 150 Year 10 students from Telopea Park School were unexpectedly evicted from Jamberoo Action Park after a booking error. The students, who had arrived for a fun-filled day at the water park, were told to leave the premises, located in Kiama LGA.

The incident occurred after a mix-up by Jamberoo staff, who had allowed the school to book the excursion three months in advance. However, the park had turned the day into a primary school day and didn’t have a risk assessment in place for the older students. In some cases, students were even asked to depart without their belongings, such as shoes.

In response to the incident, Jamberoo Action Park’s Managing Director, Jim Eddy, reached out to Telopea Park School Principal Michelle Mothorpe on Friday, 6 December, offering a sincere apology. In the email, Eddy expressed regret over the situation, acknowledging the distress caused by the mistake.

“We are writing to sincerely apologise for the upset, distress, and inconvenience that we caused as a result of Telopea Park School’s visit to Jamberoo. We have all been seriously affected by this mistake. We want to assure you that we will do everything possible to make it right,” the email stated.

Eddy further confirmed that the park would be issuing a full refund to the school, including transport costs.

Some of the students voiced their dissatisfaction with the situation. The Year 10 Captain of Telopea Park commented, “It was not a satisfactory solution.” The student highlighted the issue of belongings being left behind but also acknowledged that Jamberoo had taken responsibility for the error and offered complimentary tickets to affected students.

In addition, some social media comments surfaced regarding the behaviour of the students at the park, though Jamberoo Action Park declined to comment on these reports.

As a gesture of goodwill, Jamberoo has promised to provide each affected student with two free tickets, valid until April 2025.