Ruby carefully hand-drills into a length of privet, using a brace and bit, one of the items that older readers will remember on a ‘shadow board’ in Dad’s shed.
Little shavings of wood curl away from the bit and fall on the floor of the workshop.
Matt is a picture of concentration as he uses a wooden mallet to hammer two pieces of wood together.
Kris shapes his piece of timber, using a shave horse whose design dates back to medieval times.
This allows Kris to sit comfortably, using his body weight to smoothly finish the wood.
Charlee fits her whittled stick into a larger branch.
At the end of the morning, everyone has a bird feeder – to be filled with appropriate seed in a peanut butter mix (no salt, no sugar). And everyone sits under the trees, to enjoy a BBQ lunch and a chat.
A few months previously, Ruby, Matt, Kris and Charlee and other Mountain Mates had proudly made and decorated birdhouses.
Weaving flower crowns, bashing a ball around the Knoll National Park picnic area, and purposeful strolls through the Botanic Gardens to collect plant materials from the ground, preceded these forays into woodworking.
Mountain Mates – an activity of the TM Lions Club – have been involved in a ‘bush therapy’ program, partly funded by a Scenic Rim Regional Council Community Grant, that sees Nev Jones from Halcyon Woodcraft create an environment of safety (both physical and emotional) to teach woodworking skills, practice mindfulness and enhance well-being.
The program extends Nev’s previous work with military veterans and first responders.
All activities provide a distinct adventure in the outdoors, accessible skills, social connection and confidence building. Calm movements lead to calmer minds.
Nev’s approach is flexible and accessible, creating the right mood and ensuring everyone achieves the goal.
The group has also had the pleasure of assistance from Nev’s daughters Lizzie (a Duke of Edinburgh participant with the Lions Club) and Maddy, both students at TMSHS.
As Nev says in the report on his recent Churchill Fellowship, ‘Green woodworking has inherent therapeutic value … as an activity for applying, practicing and reinforcing evidence-based strategies such as mindfulness, nature therapy, resilience building, social connection, confidence and creativity.’
The Mates agree!
