The annual Mulwaree High sculpture auction gets underway this Thursday night at the South Hill Gallery, featuring the work of the school’s creative metal work class. 

This year’s range include sculptures of a Pegasus, bull, dinosaur and General Grievous from Star Wars.

But while it’s been a regular event for the past few years, this Thursday will be the auction’s final instalment. Teacher Bill Dorman is set to retire, after years of overseeing the program. 

Student Darcy Ogilvie, 16, has spent the past couple of terms making a charging bull, shaping it with sheet metal.

“I’m into bull riding, so I thought it’d be pretty cool to make it,” Darcy said. 

“I was a bit slow with it at the start, but I’ve got stuck into it the last 10 weeks, and have got there pretty good.

“I wasn’t allowed to put a person on the bull, they didn’t think that’d sell very well, so I’ve made the bull look like it’s charging.

“I didn’t have much to do with metal work until last year. One of my mates got me into The Project, and I’ve liked it ever since.”

The Project is the Thursday Project, an opportunity for kids that are disengaged from school for different sorts of reasons, be it family, social or attendance issues. It gives the opportunity to be creative and focus on skills.

The students come into the project with different goals. For Nick Harmond, learning the skill of welding, combined with some imaginative thinking, has produced some 

“Weldin’ skills, mainly. I’ve learnt how to look at pieces and visualise what you want to make out of them, using the imagination and create what you want,” Nick said. 

Marcus Graham has been helping a fellow student in the Thursday Program make the General Grievous sculpture - “it’s actually pretty cool,” he said. 

Mr Dorman thanked South Hill, saying the Garroorigang Rd gallery had been one of the Project’s ardent supporters over the years.

“R&B Steel, they gave us several thousand dollars worth of steel early in the year, but they’ve supported us for the past eight or nine years,” Mr Dorman said.

“I’d like to thank Goulburn Welding Supplies and Barry Burrows for their support, and Almec in Sydney, who give us all their sheet metal off cuts, which is thousands of dollars a year.

“These are the donations that make the Project sustainable. The Mulwaree Trust also gave us a computerised plasma cutter a few years ago - that was a $20,000 grant. 

“The boys’ work is great. Really good. I want (the 3m tall) giraffe in my front yard, but I can’t afford it. 

“If Darcy manages to pull the bull piece off, it will be a beauty. It’s a really great piece.”

Mr Dorman said the unique sculptures are perfect for the garden, house or as a Christmas present, with all proceeds going back to Mulwaree High School to support their students.

The auction’s viewing starts at 5pm this Thursday, with the auction beginning at 6pm.

You can read more about the program at www.mulwaree-h.schools.nsw.edu.au or check out the Mulwaree sculpture auction Facebook page.