Barker College Live-In Experience 2025
Earlier this year, Year 9 students and teachers from Barker College spent six incredible weeks living, learning, and contributing as part of the Warrah Live-In Experience. Rain or shine, the students fully immersed themselves in our community, building, creating, and connecting with residents, participants, and staff.
One of their standout projects was the design and construction of a remarkable new chicken coop, which they fittingly named Gaban-Ngurang, meaning “Egg House.” When the rain came, the group turned indoors to design a beautiful sign for the coop, proof that teamwork and creativity thrive no matter the weather!
Beyond construction, students enjoyed engaging in activities such as bingo, arts and crafts, and performing for our Kinta and Banksia participants. The experience offered a deeper appreciation for biodynamic farming, teamwork, and community life at Warrah.
Here’s what some of the students had to say:
“I thoroughly enjoyed Warrah as an experience part of the homebase program. During my stay there I participated in a variety of engaging activities which brought me great joy, especially in the thought that I was helping people in need. I participated in talking with the residents, playing bingo with them and playing a little bit of piano for them. My favourite activity by far was helping build the chicken coop, it felt refreshing to do some physical activity and working to enhance the resident’s experience at Warrah. The farm was beautiful, and the explanations of how they operated were very comprehensive and it was nice to hear about how it helps the residents. Overall, the experience at Warrah was refreshing and worked as a great way to not only help others but also develop my own character”. Derek, Year 9
“Warrah was an inspirational experience that I will always remember. On the first day I was building bird houses and making arts and crafts. For me, the bird houses were very fun to make as we were drilling holes and screwing the screws into the wood, as well as using glue and getting to work with our friends. It taught me the power of teamwork and listening to other people, especially when you are constructing something. On the next day we had an introduction to farming. The concept of organic farming was very intriguing, as it is an area that I usually do not explore. As a result, it opened my eyes to how farming is very closely connected to accessibility, which affected the many choices that they made at the farm at Warrah. In the afternoon, we started to work on the chicken coop. The chicken coop was my favourite part of the whole week as we not only got to meet amazing people who were very helpful, but also a chance to step outside my comfort zone. I am not a person who is fond of construction, and so I was learning how to chisel wood that would be put into the ground. Overall, volunteering at Warrah, making our own food, helping out with all of the projects and meeting the people there is something that I will always remember”. Isabel, Year 9
We are so grateful to Barker College for their enthusiasm, effort, and generosity of spirit. Their presence brought energy, kindness, and joy to our community.
