There are many reasons Anglicare’s CYCLOPS young carer program is lucky to have Nat Oliver on the team. Nat has over 30 years of experience as a Canberra-based youth worker, she’s earned a Lifetime Achievement YOGIE award from the Youth Coalition of the ACT, and she is a trusted colleague and compassionate mentor to the young carers she supports.
During the recent school holidays, however, Nat was celebrated for a very different and unique set of skills—woodworking. A member and occasional teacher at the Woodcraft Guild ACT, Nat used her passion for carving to organise a one-day, school holiday whittling clinic.
Participants were provided with an apron, whittling knife, Kevlar safety glove, and a pre-shaped wooden blank from which they learned to fashion a functional wooden cheese knife.
Explaining her own interest in woodwork, and why she felt it would be a good activity for the young carers in the group, Nat said: “It is part of my self-care to sit down and do this kind of work. I slow down in a way that is quite deliberate. It is very different from just sitting down and watching TV.”
The young people accessing our CYCLOPS young carers program often have limited time to focus on their own wellbeing, which is why providing opportunities such as this is vital.
“Creativity is really important to wellbeing,” said Nat, “and finding whatever your creative outlet is, is essential. For some people it may be sketching or drawing. For others, like me, playing with knives and wood comes really naturally. Also, a lot of people may never have been taught the particular ways you can get the best out of that wood, or how to protect yourself while you’re doing that.”
While Nat’s personal specialty is spoon-making (her beautiful designs can be found on Instagram at @spoonfulnessact), she chose a beginner-friendly project for the one-day clinic. Carving cheese knives from pre-cut blanks meant everyone could complete a project in just one afternoon. Participants also received sandpaper and grapeseed oil to put the finishing touches on their creations at home.
The knife used in the workshop was a straight slojd knife—named for the Scandinavian term sloyd, meaning “to create.” The slojd technique emphasises mindfulness and creativity—values Nat hoped to pass on to the group.
“I just hope they had fun,” Nat said. “Our school holiday programs are designed to offer young carers a break from their responsibilities—and this was a chance to do something just for fun.”
Visit our CYCLOPS page to learn more about this vital youth program and what it means to be a young carer.
