Rocky school students cowboy-up to craft signs for Beef Week

By Greg Chapman

A group of Rockhampton school students have gained valuable skills at CQUniversity TAFE, by mustering a herd of cows - of the wooden variety - in the lead-up to Beef Week 2024.

For several weeks, the students have had a blast handcrafting 10 cow-shaped signs in the construction work sheds at CQU’s Rockhampton City Campus.

Carpentry lead vocational teacher Trevor Howard said 10 students from several Rockhampton schools were undertaking the training as part of the Start TAFE Now program.

“The students were first required to create multiple templates to utilise for consistency of the herd. They then had to calculate quantities of materials to be ordered before being able to transfer the template design to the materials,” he said.

“The cows were then trimmed to shape and final cutting occurred. Students were introduced to a variety of new skills, techniques, ideas, and tools.”

Students Brenten Haigh, Thomas Charles and Jeremy Harle said they enjoyed the challenge of making the cow signs.

“I wasn't expecting to be building cows, but it was something different and got to use some tools we wouldn't normally use,” Brenten said.

"After one of the boys accidently broke a tail, we quickly learned the importance of teamwork. We didn't break any more tails after that," Thomas said.

Jeremy said: “I enjoyed using the routers to cut out the cows and it gave a better finish compared to when we cut them with the jigsaw.”

Mr Howard said teamwork was indeed an essential part of the project to ensure both safety and efficiency, including two person lifts and maximising utilisation of materials. 

“They discovered how a production line worked. Students were also able to put into practice what they learned in theory just weeks before around safety, planning and organising work, measurements and calculations and handling materials,” he said.

He added that all the herd needed now was corralling and tagging – or rather, painting – before they go on display at Beef 2024 at the Rockhampton Showgrounds from 5-11 May.