20 senior students from the Auto Academy and SOS classes participated in a two day chainsaw safety course with Cantrain. This course was run by a local Tristan, who connected well with our students. The theory day went well, then dodgy weather had delayed the practical component till later. We booted up and headed up to Vinegar Hill to put cutting theory into action. In groups, students donned PPE and took turns on different saws, learning and practising different cutting skills. Five large trees had been dropped previously for this purpose. Those not on the saws learnt how to use a log splitter safely (thanks Garth) Students were well behaved at all times and many were challenged greatly by the experience. A total of 18 achieved 12 level two credits, while 13 of those will achieve 17 level two credits in total for the course. A great opportunity and experience for our kids, which was followed up with with a Forest Protection Services speaker talking about careers and opportunities in forestry. Big thanks to Rina and Bron at Careers, Clint for his support and Daisy for her assistance on the day.
