A magnificent old oak tree, located in the kindergarten playground at Chairo Christian School's Drouin East campus, was the inspiration for an amazing sculpture, featuring four large acorns, created by local chainsaw artist Brandon Kroon.
Chairo began at the Lardners Trk campus at Drouin East in 1983, so throughout this year the school community has been celebrating 40 years of providing education from a Christian worldview perspective.
Now with more than 1700 students and campuses at Drouin, Drouin East, Leongatha, Pakenham and Traralgon, the school was keen to create something that would be a lasting reminder of the past 40 years and of the years to come.
Prep to year four students were excited to recently witness the unveiling of the sculpture, which Brandon masterfully carved from a spotted gum that had fallen in the wetlands at Chairo's nearby Drouin campus.
A plaque located near the sculpture explains that the four acorns represent four decades of Christian education at Chairo, while the buds and new leaves signify growth to come and hope for the future.
Year 4 students Joshua Selent and Mikayla Ballantyne, both of whom have parents who attended Chairo as students, performed the unveiling, together with Brandon and head of junior school Janet King.
Mrs King said the sculpture unveiling assembly was an opportunity to celebrate what God had done for the school and declared, 'What a wonderful reminder this will be for us'.
Since entering the chainsaw carving and sculpting scene in 2013, Brandon has created a wide selection of artworks, projects and commissions throughout Australia. He also has regularly competed internationally with excellent results, including winning the US Open International Carving Competition in 2022.