Forster Neighbourhood Centre Inc.

Boat Building and Young Carers

1st Boat
The Forster Neighbourhood Centre has received funding from the Holiday Coast Credit Union ($2,000) through their 2007 Community Grants Program to purchase a small sailing boat kit - specifically to engage young people who are at risk of leaving school early. The idea is to get the students out of the classroom for half a day per week, but to continue to increase their reading, writing and maths skills through participating in the building of the kit boat. It is anticipated that this boat will be built in conjunction with students Great Lakes High School - Forster Campus during term 3.

2nd Boat
A second boat has been purchased from remainder monies from the FNC's 2006/08 NSW Health's Young Carers Grant. This grant was funded to support Young Carers who provide ongoing support to a parent with a mental illness by:

(1) helping to break down the barriers about living with a mental illness (specifically through the production of My Mates Mum);
(2) providing Young Carers with some respite (specifically through a funded weekend at Camp Elim held in April 2008) and
(3) to establish a support group for Young Carers - it is hoped that by attracting Young Carers to the project to build a kit sailing boat, that an informal support group will develop. It is anticipated that this boat will be built in conjunction with Tuncurry TAFE, as part of a Men's Shed program, from Late July - November 2008.

3rd Boat
The FNC purchased the Kit Boats from Fire Bugs - New Zealand. They partner with a marine paint business called International Paints.

International Paints have a regular stall at expos such as the Sydney Boat Show, and invited some young people who are at risk of leaving of school early from the Greta Lakes area to build a boat at this years Sydney Boat Show (31st July - 3rd August). International Paints are then going to donate that boat to the FNC - hence our fleet has grown to 3!

We need boat builders who have some time to volunteer to help young people build these boats. It would be fantastic if we could get a fleet of six, so then community groups and schools could access them to teach people to sail on the lake.

If you have any ideas of where the completed boats could be stored, built etc. please don't hesitate to contact the FNC Manager on 6555 4351.

Click here to download - Press Release - International Paint
Filesize: 768Kb

Click here to download - FireBug Build-a-Boat Newsletter #23 - July '07
Filesize: 214Kb

Winmurra Bug
The Forster Neighbourhood Centre received funding from the Holiday Coast Credit Union ($2,000) through their 2007 Community Grants Program to purchase a small sailing boat kit - specifically to engage young people who are at risk of leaving school early. This project was successfully completed by six indigenous girls from Great Lakes College (Forster Campus) which gave the girls opportunities for building confidence, respect, perseverance, self-esteem and team work. Participants were Emma Kelly, Ebony Martin, Cassandra Lilly, Tjnaya Simon, Jasmine Martin and Tamarah Close.

Over the project time the girls developed skills using hand-held tools such as planes, saws, rasps and also power drills. The girls created their own designs both traditional and non-traditional including six flowers and six pairs of footprints, symbolising the six girls. They named the boat Winmurra Bug, Winmurra means girl in local Kattang language.

International Yacht Paint - Sponsored Boat
The FNC purchased the Kit Boats from Fire Bugs - New Zealand. They partner with a marine paint business, International Yacht Paints. IYP sponsored four local TAFE students a trip to the Sydney Boat Show 2008 where they built Firebug which was then donated to the Forster community. Troy Alridge, Kylie Hodkinson, Nikki Brown, Lobsang Jenpa all participated in the boat building.

The third boat will be built during the first term in 2009 by students at risk of leaving school early.