• Painting on 'Leaves'

For ten years the school buildings have been exposed to the North-Wester wind, the driving rain and the summer heat. It was showing in the webs of fine cracks, the faded paint, the sagging gutters.

With help from local suppliers and friends of the school, it’s been painted inside and out and it looks as good as new. Even the gate has been taken down and refurbished.

It’s not just important from a maintenance point of view to look after the school property but also because it is the one place in the children’s lives where there is light and colour and order and everything works as it should. It’s very important it should always be the example of a way to live they don’t often see.

With everything clean and rather bare, Juffrou Zaan had the idea to paint a tree on the side of the storage hut not just for the pleasure of the teachers and children but as a welcome to visitors to the school, while waiting at the main gate. Two stalwart supporters of the school, Di and Malcolm Hunter stepped in willingly to co-ordinate the project.

All the Pikkewntjies threw themselves into the task each one contributing a hand print to make Di’s tree a many-splendid thing which will, most certainly delight everyone who sees it. The names of the artists’ hands are painted in next to their hands so no one forgets whose flower is whose.