KFF DADS’ PROJECT 2017
After the success of last year’s KFF Dads’ Caravan Project, we decided to add another construction initiative to the list - building playground structures for the new Little Doves Early Childhood Education Centre. The overall concept for the playground at Little Doves is a journey through New Zealand history. After some searching via the internet, we found plans for some agricultural structures, namely a tractor, hay cart and caboose. Finding the plans online made the building planning simple, as everything became a ‘build-by-numbers’ project. This allowed people of all skill levels to contribute. Our first couple of Sunday afternoons were bathed in sunshine, with good attendance. It would be fair to say the first Sunday we probably had too many hands to actually keep busy, but good progress was made and a lot of planning issues were resolved. We were a fairly varied bunch, from complete novices to semi-experts, but everyone contributed, and as the structures came together there was a great sense of achievement.
I would personally also like to thank all the Dads (and one Mum so far) who have currently contributed to making this project such a success. As a member of the school community, being able to leave a legacy project like this is a fine achievement. I think I probably speak for us all in saying that I can’t wait to see all the structures in their final positions on site, and hope they will be climbed on and used to spark imaginations for many years to come. n Paul Stables KFF Executive Committee
During the winter months, it was more the hard-core of enthusiasts who showed up (both young and old), but show up they did and work continued. First the tractor was completed, then the caboose. At our last session the stain was applied, and finally we got to see the finished products. While we still have several more sessions planned, and there is still one more structure to complete, I think the whole project has been a great success. We would like to thank Mitre 10 Mega Albany for their very generous sponsorship of the building materials and hardware to make this project possible. They also kindly supplied some toolkits for our little helpers who turned up with their Dad to spend a Sunday afternoon hammering and sawing. Without their sponsorship this whole project would have been a lot more difficult to achieve. 11.2017
25