Building bicycles from scratch has been a rewarding project for two Omakau boys taking part in a Central Otago Reap-sponsored afterschool programme.
Timaali Kirikiri (12) and JT Gillum-Baker have been working with Omakau engineer Rhys Jones for the past seven weeks building a trike and a chopper bike.
The pair have swapped afterschool sessions with a rugby ball for lessons in Ian Rietveld's engineering workshop learning to use machinery including welding equipment and grinders.
Police youth education officer Gary Milford, of Alexandra, sourced three bikes from Central Otago Wastebusters for the boys to recycle and incorporate into their own designs.
Timaali opted to build a trike, while JT wanted to design his own custom-made Chopper bicycle.
They were inspired by a bike Mr Jones had earlier built for his stepson Regan.
Mr Jones said initially the boys were ‘‘quite apprehensive'' about using machinery in the workshop, but had soon developed confidence.
He was impressed by their dedication to the task and said the project had been ‘‘very rewarding,'' with the boys learning many new skills as well as boosting their selfconfidence.
Along with learning to use engineering equipment safely, the boys have had sessions on bicycle maintenance, including learning how to repair flat tyres and shorten chains.
‘‘It's been really good.
"It's nice to see them come into the workshop and gain confidence and [the project] gives them different options for what they might want to do in the future.''
Both boys, who were grateful to Mr Jones for being their mentor, said they were now considering careers in engineering or building.
The pair will add the finishing touches to their bikes next term, including paint and safety features, before taking them for a road test.
Their next project is building a gokart. - Jenny Collier.
