Harley Cummings has been nicknamed “Speedy Gonzales” for his ability to shift loads of soil in record time.

At Gulgong’s Flirtation Hill, Harley and 11 other students have worked with adult mentors to clear scrub, move rocks, design and construct paths and rip out weeds for a middle years’ program called “Boys Becoming Men”.

And as Harley will tell you, the landmark lookout was once “a mess” but has since been transformed by old-fashioned hard work.

There are now gardens, barbecues, tables and walking tracks that take in the panoramic view.

The boys from Gulgong Public and Gulgong High – some considered at risk of leaving school early; others from single parent families with limited male role models – have a real sense of ownership of Flirtation Hill.

“It’s good because this is just a community place,” Harley says.

“We talk to the men, work together and all that.” Another student, Michael Jordan, took his mum to the hill to view the progress.

“She said we’d done a great job,” he says.

“It’s the best thing that’s happened to me in school.” Gulgong Public teacher Dawn Trevitt says the boys have learnt practical skills (how to use saws, whipper snippers and lawn-mowers), bonded as a team and had the chance to hang out with the older men.

“The boys just think it’s wonderful.

They race up to me and say, ‘Are we going up to Flirty today?’” Mrs Trevitt says.

“The men say, ‘Righto boys, these are our projects for today’, and off they go.” And the men – from the local 2852 service club – seem to get as much out of the 10-week project as the boys.

They joke that it could be called “Men Becoming Boys”, and no task is too menial for student or adult because it all adds to the reclamation of Flirtation Hill as a valued community asset.

“They will feel they have contributed to the hill and that’s exactly what they’ve done,” says mentor Alf Zammit.

Another volunteer, Chris Hills, says the men have enjoyed watching the boys develop skills, open up and share stories.

“The first week here we were probably a bit of a ragtag team but now they have learnt a lot more about plants, as well as a bit of work ethic and team spirit.” Chris Hannaford says the boys can be themselves and “say what they think without getting into trouble”.

At the same time the men are leading by example, some taking time off their jobs to work with the students.

“The boys have been exceptionally open to us.

I just wish I’d had this as a kid,” Mr Hannaford says.

The initiative is part of a suite of programs at the two schools, including teacher professional development, funded under the federal Success for Boys program.

Danny Wilson, relieving principal at Gulgong High, says the program picks up on the philosophy of author Steve Biddulph, who says boys should be exposed to different role models – not just fathers – to help them understand appropriate behaviour and how to set goals for a productive life.

“The bottom line is that behaviour has improved and they are more settled in class,” he says.

Gulgong High careers adviser Tracy Griffiths says the boys have formed friendships across age groups – from Years 5 to 8 – and can see the relevance of school as they glimpse the future world of work.

“It’s been nice watching it evolve from the boys and men talking about garden tools and plants to now talking about what’s happening at school and friendships, the real nitty gritty stuff,” she says.

Richard Finter, welfare head teacher at Gulgong High, says the program was based on educational research and is integrated into school lessons.

The boys have, for example, looked at aerial photos of Flirtation Hill, investigated contours and used grid references.

“There are a lot of values in this program, like respect and responsibility.

These [adult] fellows are demonstrating it in their everyday lives and they are setting benchmarks for the boys,” he says.

“The purpose of using boys in Years 5 to 8 was to provide a linkage with the secondary school, because statistics tell us this is the age where boys can start to drop off in their interest in school.” The principal of Gulgong Public, Alan Walker, says “Boys Becoming Men” is also promoting good mental health, social skills and behaviour.

“The boys and their mentors have developed strong camaraderie and a very strong sense of pride and achievement in the work so far,” he says.