The big purple bus that pulls into Doveton College used to ferry people to Melbourne airport. But with many planes grounded earlier in the pandemic, it was donated to Foodbank, which repurposed it to meet rising demand for food relief.
Doveton, in Melbourne’s outer south-east, has long battled disadvantage, even in good economic conditions. Nearly 70% of the students at the prep to year nine school are in the lowest 25% of the population for socio-educational advantage. The median income in the suburb is $221 lower than the rest of Victoria.
