It’s funny to think of how I was inspired, all those years ago. There used to be a lady who travelled around schools, dressing up like an otter and teaching children about the dangers of bullying and also the environment. I can’t quite remember how she balanced the two, but I can say for sure that it was truly a compelling case. For a brief time, this woman was my hero.
Then I left school, still thinking on how she used her showmanship to teach valuable lessons to impressionable children, and I thought…why not? There are more issues than just bullying and the environment. So many more. I picked one I was particularly passionate about- in this case, welding and fabrication, because it runs in the family- and established The Welda-Van. I even got a few Melbourne companies that do marine fabrication to sponsor me, because after all, part of my message was that kids should be going home and telling their parents to get welding and fabrication done. I have some graphic close ups of poorly-welded beams to really hammer in that message.
To my surprise, my schedule quickly filled up as parents began to rave about my wacky, fun, informative lessons. I try to cover a wide breadth of subjects, including the application of steel beams, how to be safe in a welding construction site and my showstopper: Sizzle, Molten Core! I also throw in a little bit about smelting, hence why I ordered a full-size hammer costume to how in dramatic motion exactly how the process works. His name is Harry. Harry the Hammer (or just Harry for short).
Things are going great. Kids are learning why marine fabrication is great and not just a boring thing their parents tell them to do, rod holder sales are way up and I think I’m making a real difference. Next up I’m going to tackle stainless steel snapper racks. It’s a tough subject, but I think the higher primary ages can handle it.
-Gene