Another week of community, surprises, generosity, and the ordinary moments that somehow become significant when shared with others.

Sing With Me

For the first time, my singing activities raised more money than my other two platforms. That’s interesting, but the money isn’t really the story.

The story is Betty.

For the last three weeks, I sat next to Betty at singing. She had chosen voluntary assisted dying and knew her time was short. We had some fascinating conversations together. One of the privileges I had was singing songs for her so she could decide which ones she wanted played at her funeral.

She would listen carefully and occasionally say something like, “Yes, I definitely want that one at the end, that’s lovely.”

There was something both ordinary and profound about those moments. Music became part of saying goodbye.

This week, Betty passed away.

Bye Betty. Thank you for sharing a few weeks of your journey with us.

I also spent some time singing in Glenorchy Main Street with a lady who loves choosing praise songs and enjoys talking with passers-by about her faith. Her sweet soprano voice sits beautifully over a bass line, and I enjoy supporting the melody from underneath. Good bass singers don’t often get the spotlight, but they help hold everything together.

People were surprisingly generous. Glenorchy often gets talked about negatively by people elsewhere, but that hasn’t been my experience. Standing outside the shopping centre, I found people friendly, encouraging, and willing to stop and engage.

It has also opened my eyes to possibilities. There may be opportunities for others to join me in street performance as a small side hustle. A few songs, a willingness to connect with people, and a bit of courage can sometimes create both income and community.

Food Not Bombs Hobart

Our Shared Table welcomed around 30 people again this week.

For many years, 10 people was a typical gathering. Since the recent media attention, however, we’ve consistently seen more than 30 people attending each week for the past six weeks. It is beginning to look less like a temporary spike and more like a new normal.

One of the highlights continues to be our volunteer from Iran, who returned for his third week in a row. Quite honestly, he saved the day. As attendance grows, so does the challenge of preparing enough food.

Earlier on Saturday, I prayed for a chef.

A few hours later, there he was, cooking.

There was one amusing complication. His religious beliefs prevent him from eating chicken, despite him being the one preparing it. So whenever we needed to check whether it was cooked properly, I became the official taste tester. Between the two of us, we found a practical workaround.

This week also reminded us how much Karen contributes through the Really Free Market. Without her organising touch, it reverted to looking more like a large pile of donated goods. Yet people happily rummaged through it, finding treasures and useful items among the heaps. It wasn’t polished, but it worked.

Meanwhile, our developing food pantry continues to grow and is becoming one of the most important parts of what we do. More and more people are hearing about the generosity available through the project.

We don’t really see it as charity.

To us, it’s more about correcting an imbalance. We collect food and goods that have overflowed from warehouses, retailers, and households, and redirect them towards people who don’t have enough. The value was already there. We’re simply helping it find its way to where it is needed.

Woodcraft Adventures Tasmania

Behind the scenes, we’re continuing to shape our vision of helping people build side hustles through woodcraft and microenterprise.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time working on websites, social media, and online systems. Selling handmade products is difficult. Increasingly, it seems that digital skills are as important as workshop skills. A quality website and a consistent online presence are becoming foundational pillars for small makers.

I’ve also been reorganising the workshop, sorting through timber piles and uncovering possibilities for new products.

One idea that emerged this week is wonderfully simple: a beautiful block of Huon pine with a printed joke attached to it.

A little kitsch? Absolutely.

But tourists often love exactly that sort of thing.

What fascinates me is that even something that appears simple still requires considerable skill. We use quality 200gsm gloss paper, specialised printing equipment, and carefully selected adhesives to achieve a professional finish.

That’s one of the lessons that keeps repeating itself in craft and home-based business: almost nothing is as easy as it first appears.

Every product has hidden complexities. Every sale has unseen work behind it.

Our goal remains the same—to produce quality products while building opportunities for others to create income, purpose, and confidence through making things with their hands.

Until next week,

Christiaan McCann