South Burnett Woodcrafters vice president Dean Chesterton, left, and president Rick Laherty, right, showed the new workshop complex to Gambling Community Benefit Fund chairman Alan Sparkes AM and South Burnett Mayor Brett Otto

March 17, 2022

It may have taken three and a half years to bring their dream into reality, but members of the South Burnett Woodcrafters had every reason to be proud when the club unveiled their new woodworking complex recently

In September 2018 the club announced it had signed a lease to take over the former Q Link freight depot site in King Street, Kingaroy, and unveiled their ambitious plan to build one of the largest community woodworking centres in Queensland … and possibly Australia … on the site.

Like most big building projects, fate soon stepped in to throw a some hurdles in the way, including a global pandemic.

But the 29-year-old club persisted, and on March 5 several hundred guests who came along to the workshop’s official opening got to see what had kept the Woodcrafters’ 43 members so busy for so long.

The new complex is built around the former depot shed, which provides the overarching structure of the building.

While reusing the building’s superstructure provided some important cost savings, the former depot’s concrete base posed a problem because it was angled on a slope.

To overcome this, the club added a new layer of concrete to get the base level, a complex operation which required them to bolt the new concrete layer to the older one.

After this feat of engineering, members added walls, linings and power infrastructure, then moved their equipment and supplies from their former headquarters behind the Kingaroy Visitor Information Centre to their new home.

The entire process was captured on a wall of photos mounted near the front entrance which told visitors at the opening the story of the building’s construction.

Woodcrafters’ members thanked Queensland Rail, the South Burnett Regional Council, the Department of Social Services and a large number of people – some club members, some not – who had lent a hand to help bring the project to fruition.

They also thanked Stanwell and the Tarong Mine, which contributed pallets of surplus particle boards used to line many of the building’s walls; and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), the Gambling Community Benefit Fund and the Tarong Community Partnership Fund, which contributed the money to make the upgrade possible.

The new building contains separate rooms for wood turning, carving, jointing, cabinetry, French polishing and finishing, scroll saw cutting and pyrography, plus a storage area to hold supplies.

At the opening day most rooms were full of displays ranging from woodworking to glasswork, and there was even a display of textile art from the Tangled Threads art group.

Guests could also browse an array of market stalls or enjoy morning tea set up in the parking lot.

Food and market stalls, shade shelters, tables, chairs and a jumping castle began to be set up early in the morning in preparation for the opening day crowds (Photo: SBW)
A wall of photos capturing every major stage of construction greeted visitors as they walked through the front door
Inside, guests could see displays ranging from beautiful woodwork …
… through to glassware …
…and even a display of textile art from the Tangled Threads Art Group, with artist Jane Walduck on hand to explain the finer points of the work
Mayor Otto congratulated vice president Dean Chesterton on the work the club’s members had put into the project, and so did Karen Wall from Stanwell, which contributed money and materials to the workshop
Cr Roz Frohloff, John Carey from Stanwell and Cr Danita Potter said they were blown away by the new workshop facility
Outside, crowds swelled as the morning drew on, with many pausing for a morning tea under the tents erected in the workshop’s car park (Photo: SBW)
Claire Knudsen, Jan Trace and Lois Thurecht from Kingaroy QCWA’s Twilight Branch were kept busy helping out with the catering
After the official opening formalities were concluded, the Woodcrafters were congratulated with a special cake prepared for the occasion (Photo: Keith Campbell)
Peter Pacey, who founded the Woodcrafters 29 years ago, was a special guest on the day … he chatted with current vice president Dean Chesterton about the workshop project (Photo: Keith Campbell)
FLASHBACK: What the Q Link depot site looked like in late 2018 when the South Burnett Woodcrafters announced their plan to turn the industrial eyesore into a modern woodworking complex

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Video by Torkit Business Solutions (Tina Torrens)

  

 

2 Responses to "Workshop Dreams Come True"

  1. It was such an enjoyable morning. Meeting lovely people and admiring all the fabulous works of art created by the very talented members of the Woodcrafters Association. The new shed which the celebrations were all about is really impressive and a great, welcoming space for all the clever creators of the diverse range of wood works.

    Reply

  2. I am the President of the Gympie and District Woodworkers Club. I am trying to get in touch with the President of your club to talk about an alliance of woodworking clubs in this region. I already have three other clubs on board. If somebody could E Mail or phone me it would be very much appreciated. 0487-466-075 president@gympiewoodworkers.org.au

    Reply

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