Laverton Cycling Project Update March 2024

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

“3rd month of 2024, 3rd trip to Laverton, 3rd severe weather scenario of a different kind!”

“A trip full of ad-hoc adjustments.”

Day 1 – Rain, flooded & closed roads, bogged down trucks

After the severe lighting storms and extreme heat in the previous months, we encountered some serious flooding in town. The roads had only just opened for cars to get into Laverton, however, a helicopter was utilized to fly food supplies to Cosmo Newberry, and the few kids from Mulga Queen escaped to Laverton. These two remote communities have recently been serviced by the Laverton Cycling Project (LCP), so we are eager to continue working alongside both. Neither community receives much attention from NGOs in the community development space, so we are eager to continue supporting them in this regard. After all, cycling is a modality for nearly everyone. As a result of these circumstances, we had to make some major adjustments to our program in a hurry.

Day 1 saw us therefore run a bike riding session after school, which was supported by the new youth worker in town, who prepared dinner for everyone while we were out. A stream of water caused one of the main roads to turn into a jolly playground for the little ones who had so much fun riding through the water, that we didn’t have to go that much further. Wet, cold, and exhausted we ended up at the youth center, where we spent a lovely evening playing pool, twister, guessing games, Xbox, or just chatting. It is so good to have the youth center back! And, the kids simply love having people there to support and assist them in play, learning, and development.

Day 2 – An All-Day School Education Program

We were teaching every single class at School over a 6-hour period, from kindergarten level to High School and everything in between, we gave lessons in Road rules for E-Scooters, conveyed basic bike safety knowledge to Year 4-6 kids, and asked Kindy and pre-primary school kids to tell us about their cycling experiences. Every educational lesson was accompanied by some activity, and it was a successful day of teaching that we will incorporate regularly from now on. Again, it is rewarding to be able to work alongside the youths and community in both formal and informal activities. This helps build rapport with the community members and better understand their learning systems at work.

Day 3 – Mosquito invasion on Harmony Day

As part of the annual ‘Harmony Day’, students at the Laverton School prepared foods from different countries, freely available to everyone in the community. It was a fun morning out, with bellies filled heavily by the end of it. While we helped fix a couple of bikes after the celebrations were over, the bike riding session after school was really what the little kids wanted to do. So, we embarked on a journey through muddy terrain to the surrounding bushland. Despite a few issues with deeper-than-expected mud, a swarm of mosquitoes, and some general fatigue, it was a great excursion for all. We continued with playful activities at the Youth Centre where the youth worker cooked a lovely dinner.

It wasn’t only a fantastic day, but the whole trip was filled with “feel-good” moments, despite a solid workload. It is good to see a community develop, and we have contributed our bit to this progress. We are part of this friendly town now, and that alone gives us a feeling of accomplishment. This community is back on the right path…

From the CDF:

It should be noted here the tireless work of Sabine in coordinating and operating this program. Additionally without the support in fundraising, largely achieved through the Regis Resources Perth to Laverton Cycling Classic, this program would simply not be able to run into the 2024 calendar year.

This year we have been able to work alongside various remote communities to see our program grow to other townsites after 7 years of operations. Not only this but to be able to work alongside the Laverton school means we now have a broader approach to education and development. It is a great example of how a small community can come together to achieve extraordinary outcomes as far as our developmental programs are concerned.