Under Rotarian mentorship, local students refurbish an International tractor

OVER the past year, an unlikely project tucked inside a Hamilton North workshop has been quietly transforming the lives of local high school students.

Members of the Rotary Club of Medowie-Williamtown, working alongside students from Callaghan College and Arise Christian School, have been restoring an old International tractor from a pile of parts, and learning far more than mechanical skills along the way.

Rotary President Helen Ryan said the project began with a simple visit to a car storage facility.

Long-time Rotarian and car enthusiast Geoffrey Hamilton spotted a tractor the owner was considering restoring.

“From there the idea grew,” Ryan said.

“It quickly attracted interest from others, including schools, and soon became a hands-on learning opportunity that aligned perfectly with Rotary’s focus on youth, literacy and education.”

The Club hoped the restoration would give students who struggle in the traditional classroom an alternative way to learn.

“We saw the value in teamwork, preparation, listening and communication,” Ryan said.

“Education is much broader than what happens at a desk. This project has shown that.”

For Hamilton, the project’s mentor and driving force, the inspiration came years earlier when his son stumbled across a pile of tractor parts in a warehouse of exotic cars.

That encounter set off a chain of events that eventually led Hamilton to a retired businessman in Cooranbong, who gifted him a neglected International tractor once he learned about the work being done with “troubled students.”

Funding the restoration was the team’s first major challenge.

The Rotary Club immediately backed the idea, establishing a “Restore-Me” account and seeding it with $600.
More support soon followed: a Rotary international grant, $2500 from Newcastle Coal via Callaghan College, and a generous $5000 donation from a friend of Hamilton’s battling cancer.

The students set to work, tackling everything from tyres and panel beating to fuel, hydraulic and steering system overhauls.

What happened next surprised even their teachers.

Students who were often disruptive in class became focused, respectful and eager to learn once they stepped into the workshop space at DMT Resto Hans Pty Ltd in Hamilton North.

They appointed team leaders, safety officers and tool managers, working collaboratively under supervision, not instruction.

One teacher said that in the workshop the students became “entirely different people,” Hamilton recalled.

“As a past businessman, I would proudly employ any one of them.”

Their dedication was undeniable.

On one occasion, several students voluntarily organised lifts from their parents so they wouldn’t miss a session, even after attending an off-site school program earlier that day.

There have been many memorable moments, but Hamilton said the graduation ceremony for the first group of students stands out.

Held in the workshop with suppliers and local supporters present, each student received a certificate and a T-shirt from Newcastle Men’s Shed.

One student made a heartfelt speech; another handed over a thank-you card with a gift.

Of the eight participants, two have already secured apprenticeships, another is trialling with an engineering firm, and three have been awarded scholarships.

Though the project is still ongoing after twelve months, plans are already forming for the tractor’s future.

The original donor will have first option to buy it once complete; otherwise, it will be listed through a vintage tractor magazine, with proceeds returning to the Restore-Me fund so more programs can continue.

“The change in these young men has been extraordinary.”

By Jacie WHITFIELD