“Remember, this is a work trip” These were the words that rang out as we piled onto our light aircraft in Melbourne, bound for North West Tasmania for what wasn’t really supposed to be a skate trip. We’d been excitedly mapping out potential spots, tracking down local contacts, and, in some cases, outright claiming tricks as we waited to board the flight before being brought back down to earth by those words that would, with increasing jest, be repeated consistently over the following 12 days. We were on a work trip. Sort of.
It’s true that, in any case, this certainly wasn’t an ordinary skate trip. Big hART, a non-profit organisation based in North West Tassie, had approached the friendly folks and noted skate workshop extraordinaires at Totem Collective. They put forth the idea of travelling across the island’s northern towns, operating skate and art programs alongside demos, product giveaways and positive engagement initiatives in the name of promoting youth mental health in the region’s communities.
The people at Big hART have been running community-building events in the area for around 30 years, with a particular focus on art and music. Adding
