A mighty tree grows from a tiny seed and is nurtured by many other small actions, such as watering, sunshine, and mulch. Without the support provided by the myriad of these small and, at times, seeming inconsequential actions, the tree will not reach its full potential.

And it is precisely the same with any project or work conducted with people, such as Community Building. From my experience, it is often the most quirky of these small inputs that can have the most potent results.

The Laneway

Some years ago, Shoalhaven City Council pulled a team from across the organisation to work on revitalising the Nowra CBD. One of the components of this revitalisation was the installation of a mural on the rear of an old squash court. The mural faced a largely landlocked car park. 

Next to the building was a driveway.

At one meeting, a senior staff member announced he was opening up the driveway to make a laneway out of the driveway. This was a simple action. All that needed to be done was the removal of a metal fence. No preplanning or consultation had gone into this decision. A sense of panic gripped the meeting. This seemingly small action had consequences. 

Following the meeting, various staff members discussed what could be done to ensure that the laneway was not a safety risk and could be functional. The officer responsible for the mural installation developed a strategy for community art in the laneway. Her advice was that on the day of the official opening of the significant mural installation, the sidewall of the squash court facing the laneway would be filled with local community art. A general invitation was issued to all local urban artists to attend on the day and contribute to the concept. The building on the other side of the laneway was the Council Art Gallery. A decision was made to invite other local artists to contribute panels to this side of the laneway.

This all happened due to one minor decision, one small action.

Artificial Grass

The surface of the laneway was in a state of disrepair. Part concrete, part bitumen and full of potholes. Another Council manager decided covering the surface with artificial grass was more accessible and cheaper. The majority of the revitalisation committee scoffed at the idea, but it was installed and looked great. 

The Blue Free Library

The aviary used to make the library.

The Community Development team had been interested in installing a free street library somewhere in Nowra for a few months. There had been some community enquiries, but a site could not be decided. The opening of the laneway provided the opportunity to install one. A quick visit to the Council Buy Back shop secured an old, secondhand aviary, and the local Men’s Shed agreed to fit it out with shelves. It was painted blue, probably because that was the paint they had available and relocated to the laneway. It was stocked with donated books and quickly became popular with CBD users. 

A simple and easy way to activate the space.

Unfortunately, a cold winter night in August the following year saw it burn. I imagine someone sheltered from the cold and started a fire to keep warm, but the fire quickly got out of control.

However, as it had become so popular, Council staff found an old set of office shelves, which became the new library. The St Vincent de Paul opp shop across the road donated books to kick start the new library.

The Yellow Piano

Around the time the Blue Library became part of the laneway, some Community Development Team members became interested in street pianos as an art installation and another way to activate space. A piano had been donated to the Council. This was placed at the entry to the laneway and painted yellow. It quickly became popular with people in the area and remained in place for a year or two until the weather had made the piano unplayable.

Quirky but Powerful

Many of the components were small and quirky. The situation did not allow time for a great deal of planning, so things were added almost ad hoc, but they worked together. Community art, artificial turf, an aviary becoming a library and a fun yellow piano. They were all simple and mainly small additions, but they resonated with the community and made the laneway a real success.

It’s the Same with People

We’ve seen how one small decision impacted a whole project and how several small, often quirky, additional actions combined to create a successful result. It is the same with people. It is the small and often quirky things that make a difference. The kind words, the thank you for a job well done. Small caring actions give a person dignity and make them feel valued. It doesn’t matter if all they did was their job. They put effort into action and contributed to a positive result. We are a species that has a genetic disposition to connect with each other. When we connect, our lives are made better. We grow as people together to serve the common good. The small actions and kind words lift us up, affirm who we are, and make us feel good about ourselves.

Just as that tree starts from a tiny seed and is nurtured through other small actions, so are we. 

Be kind to one another.