General News
3 June, 2026
Bird boxes find their homes across Cobden
THE Cobden community response to a Cobden Technical School project, which saw six bird boxes built and distributed into the local community, has been overwhelmingly warm.
Following the completion of six timber bird boxes by the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Vocational Major (VM) class, five were delivered to local organisations last week – two to Cobdenhealth, two to Progressing Cobden for installation at Lake Cobden and one to Cobden Kindergarten.
The sixth has been installed on the school grounds at Cobden Technical School, where it will be enjoyed by students for years to come.
The project was made possible thanks to Bunnings Colac, which donated the materials for the project, as well as the support of staff member Jo Connell, who travelled to Cobden Technical School to help students with the building of the bird boxes.
Cobdenhealth activities co-ordinator Sue Loving said the gesture had been deeply appreciated by staff and residents alike.
“Thanks so much to the students for the lovely bird houses they made for our beautiful residents,” Mrs Loving said.
“We will get them to paint them up, and we will put one in the Heytesbury Lodge courtyard and one in the Anzac courtyard for the birds to enjoy.”
At Cobden Kindergarten, the donation was welcomed as a meaningful extension of the service’s nature-based philosophy.
Educator Susan Brown said the gift resonated on multiple levels.
“Cobden Kinder values many aspects of nature and nature-based play in our service’s philosophy and strong links to our community,” she said.
“When we were offered the option to have a bird box gifted to us, we were excited to be able to share this with the children and families.
“These boxes not only reflect our connection to our community and relationships, but the opportunity for learning more about birds and habitats, as well as connecting to nature in our local area with our children.
Advertisement
“We are extremely grateful and hope to be able to add some to our bush kinder site in the future.”
Progressing Cobden secretary Kathryn Stubbings also thanked the students for their contribution, noting the new boxes would complement those donated by a previous group of Cobden Technical School students already installed around the lake.
“The bird boxes will be installed around the lake in the near future,” Mrs Stubbings said.
“The project was a positive initiative, and I hope the students are proud of their efforts.”
For VCE VM teacher Stacey Podger, seeing the boxes distributed across the community brought the project’s purpose into sharp focus.
“This is exactly what the VCE VM program is about – real skills, real contributions and real connections to the community these students live in,” she said.
“To see organisations such as Cobdenhealth, Cobden Kindergarten and Progressing Cobden respond with such genuine warmth is incredibly rewarding.
“Our students worked hard on these boxes, and I couldn’t be prouder of what they’ve achieved.
“Knowing that one will also stay here at the school means every future student can see what this cohort gave back.”
The project forms part of the students’ coursework, which focuses on community health and wellbeing and challenges students to design and implement activities which make a meaningful difference to others.
Read More: Cobden