Laverton Cycling Project Update May 2024

The May Update from our Laverton Cycling Project Coordinator: Sabine Bird!

“A big ‘Thank you’ this month goes to Horizon Power for continuously supporting our efforts here in this very remote community.”

Mulga Queen & Cosmo Newbery

After the heavy floods in previous months, the landscape is lusher than we have ever seen anything in the outback. Quite astounding. At school, we taught students about the 5 human senses and then applied this new understanding out bush. We spent an hour riding, found plenty of bush bananas (gagula) and climbed trees to pluck them, stopped and listened to the wind, the sound of bike tyres on gravel and sand and looked for animal tracks… The kids returned to school rather hungry, and we had plenty of fresh fruits and juices to hand out.

A very wholesome experience in both of these very remote communities.

Laverton

Youth activities were at their height across the days we were here. We played frisbee, tennis, kids darts, and pool and when it was time for bike riding, we took the crew out on the bikes also. Exciting for us, we barely had enough bikes when 15 kids and 2 teaching assistants came on our bush ride. Lots of chatting, sweating and heavy legs, pushing their own boundaries and practicing group cohesion and skills. Once that excursion was over, fruits and fluids and a little rest back at the youth center were had before kids came back out to ride more around town, down the main hill and skidding across the gravel of the old carpark. It was so lovely to see so many of them enjoy being on the bikes. It is genuinely something they only get to do when we are around.

Community engagement was not neglected as we were also invited to celebrate National Volunteer Week together with some locals. A lovely gesture that we truly appreciate being invited to.

A big ‘Thank you’ this month goes to Horizon Power for continuously supporting our efforts here in this very remote community.