Chook Shed Update

The bell rings and they run to me, calling out my name, wanting jobs to do, to explore what they’ve helped make, bit-by-bit. Sawing timber. Hammering nails. Tightening clamps. Using a tape measure, a square edge.

The chicken house is coming along; slowly, magically.

“I like building,” says one.

“This chicken coop is bigger than I imagined.”

“It’s like the size of an apartment.”

As in life, from little things, big things might grow. It begins with a boy, Vinnie, who wanders over, asks if he can help. I’m building a wall frame, give him a hammer. He bangs in a few nails, then returns at lunch to help raise the wall into place. What do you think of the wall, Vinnie?

“It’s great,” he says. “The chickens will LOVE it!”

Do something with care, with respect, with love, and the little people know, they see it, recognise the effort, the consideration. Vinnie invites a friend the following day, and they invite their friends, and soon enough we have an impromptu ‘building club’, each intervallo and pranzo, a racket of industry!

Jo-Jo, Lucas, Clifford, Imogen, Charlotte, Kirra, Hudson, Rex, Treivon, Rita, Cassius, Karsten, I write down their names, lose track; they know who I am. 

“Dugald, can we use the drill today?”

And they have their own demands, own timetable. 

“Can we make the door tomorrow?” 

“When are you going to make the door?” 

“Why can’t you make the door today?” 

“Can we help you make the door?”

Sometimes, the group’s too unwieldly, too chaotic – they climb the ladder, get their fingers in my tool box, go through the tubs of fixings, nails end up everywhere – but mostly it is wonderful. It is a curiosity, a desire to make, to create, to be useful. 

Last Wednesday, a crowd all wanted to be involved, to hammer and saw and bang sticks on pieces of metal, and... STOP! 

“Everybody line-up over there! I'm making an obstacle course!” 

And I did, and they followed the rules, and only two got disqualified and in the time left we made a balance beam, and more children arrived, and I said to come back at lunchtime, and they can make their own obstacle course, only harder.

All we needed were pieces of wood, and our imaginations. 

"Can we make the obstacle course?" 

"Is that the adventure playground?" 

"It's too easy." 

"Look, I can do it without my hands". 

"It's still too easy". 

"Easy, peasy."

They loved it – the see-saws, a slide, balance beam, stepping stones – and some wore green and gold ribbons in their hair, and I asked them who was staying up to watch the Matildas, they all raised their hands, with excitement, anticipation. 

Thursday morning was cold and drab. The Tildas had lost. I wanted to contribute some cheer, maybe raise my own spirits, so I scooted to the school with an angel grinder in my backpack to cut up a roadsign. 

I needed a splash of colour.

Matilda gold! Egg yolk yellow! 

To put beside the drumsticks. No other school is gonna have a chicken house like this!

In the making, a community is created. And I text one of the teachers and tell her what a marvellous day I’ve had, up-n-down a ladder. With Steve, in the drum shed, and his students coming-n-going. And Allison picking fresh greens from the garden, cooking them with the children, and one brings out a plate of wonton dumplings and they’re delicious! And Chantel’s art classes, spilling onto the deck, with paper-making and spray painting and all the animated chatter. 

And I’ve got them on the handsaws and hammers, and we’re building!

How lucky are these children; at a school like this, with opportunities like these?

Three last things. 

When I’m not on the tools I write stories (except on Mondays, when I wash dishes at the Galleon Café). The last published story was about giving children opportunities, as others may have given us. If interested, it can be read here: Other dads once gave me a bigger life. Now I could do the same for Arturo (theage.com.au)

I’m after one sheet of corrugated iron to finish off the chook house roof. Needs to be 1800mm in length. Anyone have a sheet of roof iron they don’t need? (All materials I use are salvaged, or offcuts, or over-orders – it’s an environmental consideration).

I’ll be working this Wed-Fri on the project, starting the run, maybe even making the doors. In school hours. Come have a look, see what we’re up to. All children welcome, and reckon this week there might be some more pop-up adventure playgrounds to be had.

Dugald