Day 1
We set off bright and early and full of excitement on Day 1 and made our way to our first community - Dalby. On the way we were able to have the chance to get to know one another, and stop at the beautiful Toowoomba Picnic Point for lunch.
After lunch, we arrived at Dalby, and some of us headed out to our first project - helping make paper lanterns for this years Delicious and Delightful Festival! We thoroughly enjoyed helping make a number of lanterns which included The Big Ben, The Parthenon, Geisha Girl, Hat & Boots, Qantas Plane, Sydney Opera House, a Hot Air Balloon, an Igloo, an African rhino, an Indian tiger, the Sphinx, Babushka Doll, Buddha, a Blimp and Statue of Libery, a volcano and more.
After lunch, we arrived at Dalby, and some of us headed out to our first project - helping make paper lanterns for this years Delicious and Delightful Festival! We thoroughly enjoyed helping make a number of lanterns which included The Big Ben, The Parthenon, Geisha Girl, Hat & Boots, Qantas Plane, Sydney Opera House, a Hot Air Balloon, an Igloo, an African rhino, an Indian tiger, the Sphinx, Babushka Doll, Buddha, a Blimp and Statue of Libery, a volcano and more.
Day 2
On our second day in Dalby, we had opportunities to engage in a number of volunteer projects.
This included gardening and cleaning at the Pioneer Park Museum. During the day we were all lucky enough to view the varying exhibits at the Pioneer Park Museum which showcase history in Dalby and a variety of artefacts which give interesting insights into the past. The wonderful caretakers of the Museum telling us stories from the area and making us all feel so welcome.
We also continued with preparations for Dalby's Delicious and DeLIGHTful Festival. We were tasked with building the structure of some Lanterns with Bamboo poles as well as applying multiple Layers of Paper Mache to the BIG Lanterns for the parade. We completed a large majority of the Lanterns which we later found out if we hadn't helped there is only one lady who Paper Maches all of the lanterns!
This included gardening and cleaning at the Pioneer Park Museum. During the day we were all lucky enough to view the varying exhibits at the Pioneer Park Museum which showcase history in Dalby and a variety of artefacts which give interesting insights into the past. The wonderful caretakers of the Museum telling us stories from the area and making us all feel so welcome.
We also continued with preparations for Dalby's Delicious and DeLIGHTful Festival. We were tasked with building the structure of some Lanterns with Bamboo poles as well as applying multiple Layers of Paper Mache to the BIG Lanterns for the parade. We completed a large majority of the Lanterns which we later found out if we hadn't helped there is only one lady who Paper Maches all of the lanterns!
After a long day of projects, e were fortunate to engage in discussions and reflect on our work, our presence within the community and the conversations that we had held during the day. This service learning approach is a large part of what Big Lift is all about and it is so wonderful to be able to be part of a group that values both our individual and collective development over the course of the trip.