Brief Gembrook Visit

We arrived at the Funk house at Gembrook very wet and cold late winter afternoon to chill out. The grandkids were very proud of their new rooms at the other end of the house where the car garage once was. We all had a nice pooled together meal. We were all there - Jas missed the pictures as it turned out. And before we left we played the old board geme Cleudo. The kids are definitely growing up.

This kitchen will soon have a completely different look!

Piper's old room is no more and another wall up close will change this space still further. 

But a lounge room it will soon become (on the sunny side of the house). 

And Stripy sleeping through much of it.

Immigration Museum Excursion

Peter accompanied a class to Melbourne's Immigration Museum. They went from Tallarook to Southern Cross Station on V-Line, a straightforward and economical method of transportation. It was a fun day involving open play and lunch by the Yarra, the Immigration Museum (of course), and then a soft-serve treat back at Southern Cross Station before returning on the train. While waiting to go in at the Museum courtyard (above) one of the children came and told Peter that they had found his name. And yes, "Peter" was one of the brass words found on the flat watery surface.

Now what might they be doing here?

a refugee's sketch of their camp

Tallarook Bush Excursion

On an earlier school excursion, Peter accompanied the older children to what they call "The Block" where they joined up with other local primary schools to do a bit of landcare. First they learned from an indigenous family how to make small stone knives by shipping thin pieces off hard rock, as was done long ago by the original inhabitants. Then they were each given a tree seedling to plant to help return this area of bush back to its natural condition. As a reward after all the learning and community work, they were divided into mixed groups (mixed schools and genders) to make huts out of what had been cut down recently. The children had a ball and will remember this day as something special in their primary school experience.

Excursion through Tallarook

Peter acted as adult support for a class excursion through the local township, visiting many of the old landmarks. The children collected useful notes along the way which will become a future inquiry project. Peter learned a lot of new things about the town of Tallarook.

Tallarook Hotel

Tallarook Railway Station

Tallarook Cemetery 

The oldest headstone?

Useful information from along the walk.

Tallarook Random Creations

Peter decided to simply supply wooden blocks and short lengths of wood to see how the kids would handle making anything they wanted. They were happy enough and did just that. Below are just a few samples of their random creations. Nice stuff.

Whittlesea Sea Gulls

This was a very simple project that turned out very well, giving the kids just enough challenge to be proud of their accomplishment. When the nail was driven home and the cotton thread attached to the nail and springy stick they many were happy to leave early to play with them in the school yard.

Remembrance Choir

Barb and others from the Mernda Community Choir joined up with other such choirs around Melbourne (and Tasmania) to form a hundred plus singing voice as part of "Remembrance" a one off presentation reflecting on the forming of the ANZAC psyche that grew out of WW1. There were continual images, foreground opera singers of note sharing a heartfelt story, a full orchestra in the middle and this giant choir behind and to the sides. The collective voice was powerful. It was put on by Victorian Opera (see You Tube). Some songs were light, some were subversive, but most of them reflected the great loss to humanity and how the ANZAC soldiers handled it from the start of the war to its finish.

Wishing Wells

When Peter wondered what to do with five very long and thick cardboard tubes he did not know the amount of production that was required to make it work. In all, something like 63 miniature wishing wells were constructed, about 28 by the kids of Whittlesea and the remainder by the kids of Tallarook. The task was challenging enough for the younger kids, having that "only just holding together" look for at least half of them. Pop sticks were a good choice for a well roof. There as a lot of pre-gluing of timber sides to make it a bit easier for the expected skill level. The tubes which were docked to make up the "well" shape will probably not come by for quite a while so this project will be a rare event in the annals woodcraft club experience.