In a time of local economic hardship, students at Swifts Creek P-12 School have proven that resilience and community spirit can be forged from the ground up — quite literally out of scrap metal.
Over terms one and two, local sculptor Madelaine Last of Mad Metal Creations partnered with a dedicated group of students to teach them the fundamentals of metal fabrication. Together, the team built a monumental kangaroo sculpture that will be officially unveiled to the public next week.
For Swifts Creek, a tight-knit mountain town feeling the pinch following the closure of the local timber mill and the prolonged shutdown of the township’s pub over the past 12 months, the hands-on project has delivered a welcome boost of pride and practical skill.
“Swifts Creek P-12 is where I grew up and went to school,” Ms Last said.
“It’s a tiny school of under 100 students, so being able to come back and teach these skills has been really special.”
The workshop group comprised five young women and one young man ranging from year eight to year 12. Tasked with designing the project from scratch, the students brainstormed ideas before settling on a iconic Australian kangaroo.
To ensure the artwork could be clearly seen above the school’s perimeter boundary fence, the group designed and fabricated a 1100mm plinth — making the total height of the completed installation an imposing 3.2 metres.
In a touch of local High Country humour, the students subtly fabricated the kangaroo’s paws so it can hold a fishing rod.
National welding supplier Kemppi Australia backed the grassroots initiative, sponsoring the project by donating multiple welding units alongside safety helmets, jackets and heavy-duty gloves for every student involved.
Most of the participants entered the workshop with zero prior experience using heavy power tools or metalworking machinery. Over the six-month build, the students gained comprehensive experience operating angle grinders, MIG welders (both gas and gasless), plasma cutters, die grinders and oxy/acetylene torches for heating and bending.
They also mastered hand-tool work at the anvil, stripped down an old quad bike for recycled component parts and successfully fabricated a precise, perfectly square steel plinth.
The hands-on experience has already ignited career ambitions, with several female students expressing a desire to purchase their own welding equipment and considering trades as a future career path.
The community is invited to celebrate the students’ achievement at the official installation and grand opening ceremony tonight at 5pm at the Tambo Campus.
