Don Deluca creates magic for HCS

Pictured admiring the wonderful fence crafted by Don Deluca is Peyton Busch, Educator Beckie Lund, Ted Wythes, Alexis Crighton, Ella Taylor, Educator Aggie Koroibete, Darcy Milliken. Image: The Riveirne Grazier/Kimberly Grabham.

By Kimberly Grabham

Don Deluca is at it again, quietly enriching the lives of many. This time, HCS Preschool was of benefit of his many talents.

Don created a wonderful fence for the Hay Children’s Services (HCS) Preschool Garden, and it is not just any old fence.

Made of corrugated iron, with a ‘web’ towards the top of the fence, carefully constructed insects, a spider mosquito and a fly, live on the web.

The children of HCS were thrilled with the magical door into their garden, with the fence no doubt inspiring many conversations about insects and the environment. They were equally as thrilled when Don came down to install the door, Don taking the time to interact with the children.

Don said that the fence was actually delayed by 12 months, due to health reasons.

“I was worried that the insects looked too real, but Sophie Curtis (Nominated Supervisor of HCS Preschool), said that it would be a great educational opportunity, to talk to the children about insects, the role they play, and ones we shouldn’t pick up,” he said.

Although Don doesn’t work with metals often, bonsai being is main love, he does undertake some jobs for friends and family.

Some of these, over time, have been toy cars that took around 1000 hours to create, tinkering for himself, and little jobs for his sister.

Thank you, our local larrakin and man of many talents, Don Deluca for bringing magic to the world of our town’s youth.