Tania Nisbet has rocks in her head.

Or rather, rocks on her mind.

This fabulous artist dedicates many hours of her time and skill into creating works of art, all to put a smile on someone’s face.

She doesn’t know which someone will end up with a smile.

Or often where the rocks end up.

But, she does it for the sheer fun of it, and to brighten up people’s days.

Tania’s love affair with rocks began in mid-2023, when she began work as an SLSO for Hay War Memorial High School.

“I was working in one class, the big picture class, which is for children who are exploring alternate educational options,” she said.

“The teacher in that class was painting rocks with the students one day, and I joined in. From that moment on, I was hooked.”

Over time, Tania estimates she has painted and circulated over 200 rocks.

Under the cover of darkness, Tania and her youngest daughter Matilda, drop the rocks in places around Hay, and wait to see who finds them.

People comment to Tania they never dreamed of finding rocks in Hay, and some are taken with them when they pass though town as visitors.

“It makes me feel happy to know it has put a smile on a kid’s face,” Tania said.

“While many don’t post if they have found them, many will message and ask when I am going to do a drop and ask for clues where to find them.

“It has become a lot of fun for a lot of people, and I like that.” Brandon Burns loads up his pockets with rocks for Tania, and leaves them at various points on his many travels.

Tania would love more people to post, both locally and visitors. “It would be wonderful to know when people come across one of my rocks,” she said.

“I’d just love to know if and when they are found.”

Over all her time doing rocks, only a few rocks have been posted as found, one in Port Macquarie, one in Goulburn, some in South Australia, and one was taken to Taree.

These rocks don’t just take minutes to paint, they take many hours.

Intricate, careful work, Tania does them whenever she has the time. It does get hard though, between this and her other hobby of etching different items for people, and making cake toppers, time is not in large supply.

These days, Tania is also creating art; cooking up delicious storms in the canteen of HWMHS.

She is really happy others in Hay have started painting and dropping rocks as well, such as Doris Pearse, Leonnie Laracy’s grandchildren and Kim and Leah Curtis.

“Other towns have a rock snake; when someone finds one, they add it to the snake. I would like to start up something like that but I am not sure how it would go,” she said.

Congratulations Tania, it isn’t everyday these days someone takes the time to do something so wholesome, purely for the love of it, and to make others smile.