A group of year 11s from Menzies College have dug, boxed and poured a concrete pathway for school credit, building the base for an information kiosk on the farming locality of Menzies Ferry.
Hard materials teacher Simon Pearce said it was important his students engaged in tasks like this, as it prepared them for the realities of the workforce.
He said his students were not only learning the basic tricks of the trade but also how to get on and work together as a team — which was the reality for most in the construction industry.
"Just knowing ... lefty, loose-y, right-y, tight-y, got your earmuffs on, trying not to smack someone with a club hammer while you’re working, it’s those things ... then there’s a little bit of the banter and working together," he said.
"It’s a win-win for the kids, really."
The students also learn what jobs they want to avoid in future, some disliking the concrete-smoothing process saying it hurt their hands, Mr Pearce said.
"That’s the point of having a broad range of experience," he said.
Mr Pearce said his class also had plenty of barbecues, another crucial part of tradie life.
The teacher said he was also trying to build links between the school and the community through projects such as this.
"Originally, we started in the workshops ... and then we were asked to do a wee shelter in one of the local bush areas," he said.
After that, he said, people such as Menzies Ferry Memorial Committee member Malcolm Sinclair have called upon his students to get their jobs done.
South of Wyndham and Edendale, the area of Menzies Ferry was named after a boat that brought residents across the Mataura River.
The ferry was supplied by Southland Province superintendent Dr James Menzies, hence the name, and the area was surveyed as a township in 1876.
The town was later moved away from the river, however, to higher ground to avoid flooding, Mr Sinclair said.
He said reintroducing the path was nostalgic for some of the older locals who remembered walking past the monument on their way to school.
The school land, the neighbouring schoolhouse and the old Menzies Ferry hall a few houses down had all been sold recently, and his group wanted to retain some of the area’s history before it was lost, Mr Sinclair said.
The Anzac tribute, over 100 years old, has been updated with wooden cutouts of soldiers made by local Margaret McKelvie and a service will be held there at 2pm on April 25.
They had held a service there for the past two years,but before that, there was a 70-year break from when they used to hold "huge" memorials there, Mr Sinclair said.
Looking back to future generations, Mr Pearce said his country students took the initiative, having previously petitioned the council for a mountain bike jump near their Wyndham school.
The students then built bike stands and other accessories for the project.
The building course for year 11 is run in collaboration with training giant Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation.
The unit is only run for the 15-year-olds because in year 12, the teens can join the company’s Gateway course which places them in real-life apprenticeships for a year or longer.
The students can then opt to continue on that career pathway as an alternative to staying in academics.
The two girls taking charge with impact drivers during the concrete unboxing were Paula Powell, a skilled mounted games horse rider, and Ellie McKelvie, an incredible hunter, Mr Pearce said.
"There’s a lot of talent in the groups," he said.
"And they support each other, so they come up with some great ideas and projects and things they want to do, things they’re interested in."
"They’re really tremendous kids, actually," Mr Sinclair said.
