Traditional toolmaking with Venndale Rehabilitation Centre SEE clients

The SEE Program at Venndale Rehabilitation Centre has recommenced under new trainer Mike Bolton over the past month. 

Clients do 2.5 hours a day of workplace-centred literacy and numeracy activities during their stay at Venndale.

Mike is adopting an activity-based approach to fire up the interest of the clients.  He is hoping the clients will see more relevance in their reading, writing and numeracy tasks than they do in the classroom, when it is anchored in hands on activities.

The first activity was woomera (Aboriginal wooden spear-throwing device) and spear making using recycled pallet timber for woomeras and then bamboo and silica for the spears.  The aim is to make and then give to a younger family member.

Whilst making, we also looked at jigsaw safety, hand tool use, measuring, describing, technical drawing and then a poster-style report.

Some of the clients had a competition to hit the Rock Wallaby.  The best of ten shots won a meat pie and can of cola.