Small Projects. Growing momentum. Real people. Real steps.
This week felt like one of those “quietly massive” ones — several small projects moving at once, each with its own personality, pace, and surprises. By the end of it, I hit the wall a bit… but looking back, there’s a lot to take heart from.
Broke-Ass Brunch — A New Small Project Launches
We opened a new small project this week: Broke-Ass Brunch — and it came together fast.
Eamonn stepped forward to headline what is essentially a homeless dinner with style and intent. In just one week he:
- Engaged three media bodies including Pulse and The Mercury
- Booked musicians to play a live set
- Found an artist to run a workshop
- Located cooks to prepare the meal
- Engaged a group leader to coordinate the event
- Worked through changing commitments (some who planned to help later pulled out)
- Drew on my resources — sourcing food and supplies
- Utilised the new social media platform, which brought in several volunteers (for this event and future ones)
It was a real “build while moving” effort — imperfect, energetic, and community-driven.
And importantly, it gave Eamonn a space to lead something publicly.
That matters.
Pete’s Journey — Continuing Through Homelessness
Pete continued writing his story this week — generously allowing me to publish it across the growing socials. His reflections are becoming an important thread in what we’re doing: lived experience, told in real time.
Over the weekend, Pete began engaging with Night Space, the street shelter.
We now wait to see what comes of that — but even the step toward engaging is significant.
This remains a quiet but meaningful small project: story, dignity, and movement.
Woodcraft Adventures — Small but Encouraging Steps
Woodcraft Adventures had a few encouraging moments this week:
- A nice wholesale order came through
- Social media was used intentionally for market visibility
- A sale was made to Danielle, a digital creator and publicly recovered addict
- Etsy is now live — no fresh sales yet
- We “clocked one up” by gifting Eamonn’s mum a $19 Huon Pine spatula via the Etsy site (using our own system)
It’s early days, but the pieces are starting to connect — product, story, and audience.
Singing for Community — Three Gatherings
The Singing for Community project continued quietly in the background:
- We sang for older community members
- Practiced funeral songs for one of our own who passed (service next week)
- Three singing gatherings in total
There’s a subtle shift happening here.
The community is beginning to allow me to own space vocally — not by saying it outright, but through signals:
- Leaders engaging with socials
- Donations
- Tolerance of my side projects
- Invitations to step forward musically
A small shot of courage is helping me step into that.
Doug’s Project — Care After the Protest
Doug’s project wrapped up this week — interestingly, it ran in reverse.
The political protest itself happened weeks ago, backed by significant research and preparation.
What followed was four weeks of post-event care and recognition:
- A care package
- Material aid
- Driving support
- Community singing
- A buddying system
The buddying system worked particularly well — Doug formed a new friendship.
They now visit, chat, and share tonics together.
A good reminder: sometimes the aftercare is the real project.
Evangelist Group — Brought Into the Fold
The evangelist group were drawn closer into the wider network this week:
- Their church recognised them
- A meeting was organised with an official
- Ongoing support planned
- A tract/flyer is being prepared (pending agreement… said slightly tongue-in-cheek)
Another small thread being gently woven in.
End of the Week
By the end of it all — I collapsed.
Not dramatically. Just that familiar drop when several small projects run at once, each needing attention, encouragement, and follow-through.
But looking back, this week held:
- A new project launched
- A leader stepping forward
- A homeless story continuing
- A shelter engagement beginning
- A craft business inching forward
- Singing deepening in community
- A protest followed by care
- A new group brought into relationship
Small projects.
But together — momentum.
See past newsletters
- Notes in the Field: Newsletter No. 16 – Week Ending Sunday, 24th May, 2026
This week carried a strange mix of encouragement and heaviness. There were genuine moments of growth and connection, but also a growing awareness that pressure is building for a lot of people — not just those already doing it tough, but increasingly families and everyday working people as well. One of the highlights of the… Read more: Notes in the Field: Newsletter No. 16 – Week Ending Sunday, 24th May, 2026 - Notes In The Field: Newsletter No. 15 – Week ending 17th Thursday May 2026
This week felt like one of those weeks where the internet stopped being “content” and became community again. A strange thing has been happening through Small Projects and the wider networks of FNB Hobart. We keep finding random people online who need help — and somehow, through conversation, timing, trust, and a willingness to act,… Read more: Notes In The Field: Newsletter No. 15 – Week ending 17th Thursday May 2026 - Notes From the Field: Newsletter No.14 – Week Ending Sunday 10th May 2026
This week felt like one of those weeks where many small projects quietly connected together. Across Hobart, online spaces, workshops, music, woodcraft, and community support — there were constant reminders that meaningful work is often built through relationships, repetition, and showing up again. Woodcraft Adventures This week we continued creating pieces that carry story and… Read more: Notes From the Field: Newsletter No.14 – Week Ending Sunday 10th May 2026 - Notes in the Field: Newsletter No.13, Week Ending 3rd May 2026
Small moments of momentum shaped this week across ChristiaanMcCann.com, Woodcraft Adventures, FNB Hobart, and Sing With Me. From growing community interest and collaboration opportunities, to wood dust floating through late-night carving videos, to shared tables feeding people across Hobart — the work continues to grow through relationship and participation. The week’s most powerful moment came during Sing With Me, when after weeks of quiet presence, a new participant finally found her voice in song — a reminder that genuine community spaces can unlock confidence, connection, and moments of real human magic. - Housing Blocks
Real-world snapshots of life in community housing—what works, what doesn’t, and the small, practical projects that help bridge the gap between being housed and actually living well. - Notes From The Field: Newsletters No.12 – Week Ending Sunday 26th April 2026
A week that tested the edges—and clarified them. At FNB Hobart, we faced a direct challenge over control of the Shared Table. It didn’t stick. The work isn’t owned, and it won’t be taken. We held the line, and the space remains what it was built to be: open, consistent, and for the people who rely on it. Meanwhile, Woodcraft Adventures hit the road. From a wholesale order and workshop opportunity in Oatlands, to an unexpected mentor in Campbelltown, to three days carving on the east coast—something is shifting. The path forward is starting to take shape, even if it still feels just beyond reach. Back in Hobart, we returned to the table. A smaller, focused gathering, including couples sleeping rough—people often overlooked, but not here. Not a loud week. But a defining one. - Notes from the Field: No.11 – Week ending Sunday 19th April 2026
This week carried both momentum and weight — the kind of stretch where meaningful work keeps unfolding, but the pace demands careful attention to energy and rest. - Notes in the Field: Weekly Newsletter No.10 – Week Ending Sunday 12th April 2026
This week we launched a new small project — Broke-Ass Brunch — and it came together with surprising momentum. Eamonn took the lead, engaging three media outlets, lining up musicians, sourcing an artist workshop, recruiting cooks, and working with a group leader to coordinate the event. Plans shifted, some helpers pulled out, but the project kept moving. Using shared resources, food searches, and the growing social platform, new volunteers began to emerge. Built in just one week, it became more than a meal — it became a space for leadership, creativity, and community to form in real time. - Newsletter No.9 5th April 2026: Notes from the field – Small Breakthroughs, Growing Momentum
Small breakthroughs. Growing momentum. This week felt less like a single big moment, and more like a series of small steps beginning to connect. Conversations turned into plans, ideas turned into action, and relationships deepened through simple, practical collaboration. What once felt scattered is starting to form a pattern. There’s still uncertainty, but movement is happening. Grassroots efforts, shared spaces, and people stepping forward are quietly building something sustainable. It’s not polished or corporate — but it’s real, and it’s gaining traction. Momentum doesn’t always arrive loudly. Sometimes it grows through small wins, steady trust, and people showing up again the next day. - Notes From The Field: Newsletter No.8 – Sunday, 29th March 2026. The newsletter where intentions meets reality.
Notes from the field this week: We often think we know what people need. This week proved otherwise—through a pair of boots, a small room, and stories that don’t fit neatly on the surface. - Notes from the field: Newsletter No.7 – Week ending 22nd March 2026. Hands That Give, Hands That Receive
A simple act—a meal shared, a song sung, a carving gifted—can ripple further than we expect. This week, generosity turned into movement. - Newsletter 6 (or Letters from the field): 15th March 2026 – ChristiaanMcCann.Com
This week I watched Pete run the free clothes store again. He lays the clothes out carefully, almost like a small department shop — jackets together, shirts folded, shoes lined up. People arrive and begin browsing. For a moment it looks completely ordinary. Except everything is free. - Newsletter No. 5, 8th March 2026 – from ChristiaanMcCann.com
This week has been one of those weeks where the threads of life—wood, music, faith, and community—have all been pulling in different directions, yet somehow weaving together. Woodcraft Adventures – steady hands, steady sales On Wednesday afternoon we were back down at Kingston Beach from 2–3pm, carving and talking with whoever wandered past. There’s something… Read more: Newsletter No. 5, 8th March 2026 – from ChristiaanMcCann.com - Newsletter No. 4, 1st March 2026 – from Christiaan McCann .comAlright, here’s your newsletter — a little late, but honestly… the good ones usually are. “The week of a singing wood carver soup kitchen operator.” 🎵 Singing It was a listening week. Monday and Wednesday I sang with the oldies — but this time, I mostly just listened. They didn’t need me to talk. And… Read more: Newsletter No. 4, 1st March 2026 – from Christiaan McCann .com
- Newsletter No. 3, Sunday 22nd February 26’: Woodcraft Adventures – This Week in Motion
This week felt like something settling into rhythm. On Wednesday from 2–3pm at Kingston Beach, down near the dog park, we carved publicly and conversations unfolded with real locals. Wendy stood in awe and purchased an unfinished wombat on trust — a small but meaningful exchange. Between mall demonstrations, low food salvage collections, tiger mania in the workshop, insurance “as a café,” and our first collector order sent to Melbourne, it feels like structure is slowly forming around something we once only imagined. - Newsletter, No.2, Sunday 15th ‘26: Weekly Community Update — Building What MattersThis week I’ve started locking in new rhythms: a regular wood carving workshop at Kingston Beach, structured meet-ups, and early steps toward something that could become a youth group. It’s not easy work — but it matters. And once you hear what’s happening in your community, you can’t ignore it.
- Newsletter No.1, Sunday 8th ‘26: Yes, our first newsletter ever.
Good things are growing (and I’m becoming organised… apparently) Hi friends, I wanted to send a simple first newsletter — not because everything is perfect, but because a lot of good things are quietly growing right now. And I’m grateful. And it breaks the ice! 1) FNB Hobart is up on numbers Food Not Bombs… Read more: Newsletter No.1, Sunday 8th ‘26: Yes, our first newsletter ever.