Women in Trades Cubby House Auction
Ten young women from Gisborne Secondary College and Kyneton High School have just completed something they never thought they could do: design and build a custom pine cubby house from scratch.
The six-week Women in Trades taster program, with additional funding support from the Department of Education, gave these students hands-on carpentry experience before they choose their VET pathways for the following school year. The result? A fully functional cubby house valued at $2,000—and ten students with new skills, confidence, and career possibilities they hadn't considered before.
From "I've Never Done This" to "We Built This"
Working alongside qualified builder Rob Evans (35+ years' experience) and CRLLEN's School, Industry and Projects Manager, Tara Kirk, students didn't follow a kit or pre-made plans. They measured, sketched, designed, and built the entire structure themselves.
How it worked:
Week 1: Design plans, measurements, structural basics
Weeks 2-3: Cutting pine frames, fitting pieces together
Weeks 4-5: Assembly, adjustments
Week 6: Finishing, safety checks
Rob supervised. The students made the calls.
"I've learned so much and been surrounded by amazing people. It's actually made me consider becoming a tradie," Jordi said.
"We built this. That's insane," said Jordi, a Year 10 student from Kyneton High School, standing back to look at what they'd created. Before the program, she hadn't considered trades as a career path. Now?
"I've been surrounded by amazing people. It's actually made me consider becoming a tradie. I genuinely just really enjoyed it and I have gotten so many skills."
That shift—from "I've never done this" to "I could do this as a career"—is exactly what the program aims for.
A Community Effort
This project happened because local businesses stepped up:
Bentos Plumbing (New Gisborne) – donated materials
Bunnings and Master Builders – donated PPE, safety gear and uniforms
Gisborne Secondary College – provided workshop space and facilities
Their support gave ten young women access to real tools, real materials, and real experience in an industry where women currently make up just 2% of the workforce.
What They Built
The specifications:
Dimensions: 2200mm length X 2000mm wide X 2000mm high
Solid pine timber frame construction
Fully safety checked and built to industry standards
Approximately 50 hours of student work
Valued at $2,000
This isn't a flatpack. It's a custom-built structure designed by students who learned to use power tools, read measurements, problem-solve on the fly, and work as a team.
And here's the best part: the students voted to auction it and donate all proceeds to charity.
Your Chance to Bid
The cubby house is now live for auction. It's perfect for backyards, childcare centres, community spaces—anywhere you want a quality, custom-built structure that comes with a great story.
Auction closes: Monday, 8 December at 7pm
Delivery included: Within 80km of Gisborne by 12 December – in time for Christmas!
When you bid, you're not just getting a cubby house. You're supporting charity, celebrating these students' achievement, and showing them their work matters.
What's Next
The success of this taster program has CRLLEN exploring how to expand it in 2026. More students. More hands-on learning. More pathways into trades for young women across the Central Ranges region.
Programs like this work because they give students practical experience before they commit to a pathway. They get to try it, build confidence, and make informed choices about their future.
Help us spread the word. Share this auction with your networks. Place a bid. Show these ten young women that the 50 hours they put into building something from scratch didn't just create a cubby house—it opened doors.
Auction link: https://tinyurl.com/mrx53td7
Questions about the program?
Contact Tara Kirk, School , Industry and Projects Manager
Email: tara@centralrangesllen.org.au Mobile: 0447557280