Presented by Lions Camp Kanga in association with The Proserpine Woodturners Group. |
Article that appeared in the Australian Woodworker Issue #113 February 2004 Written by: George Hatfield |
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From October 31 to November 2 last year, I attended the Proserpine Woodturners annual woodturning get-together. The Turnout 2003 was their third event, and by all accounts it was the biggest and the best. One hundred and five attendees gathered at Camp Kanga, near Lions Lake Proserpine, North Queensland. People came from as far away as Longreach to the west, Mareeba to the north and Melbourne to the south. Digs and Catering The accommodation was sparse but ideal for the event. The camp has a large kitchen and eating area which supplied freshly cooked meals including morning and afternoon tea. Adjoining the kitchen was a big recreation room with bar, in which people used to gather during the evenings and talk about the days events. Cabins with two-berth rooms were available for sleeping and some people brought their own caravans. The Format The structure of the long weekend was different to anything else I had experienced. This is because it had no structure apart from a pole lathe race on the Saturday afternoon. Woodturners just came along to the camp, booked in at the reception area then took their lathe to the large marquee provided and started turning - anything. The idea behind this set up was that people could do their own thing without any pressure. They could also look at other woodturners work and learn and share knowledge. In total, a variety of 48 lathes were in use under the marquee. The enthusiasm amongst the turners was staggering. Some of the lathes started at 6.00am and apart from a brief break for lunch, carried on until 5.30pm when the bar opened. There was only one guy there - I wasn't sure if he was sleepwalking in his nightie or turning in a smock. Steven Hughes, well-known for his turning, design and teaching ability, and I were invited as special guests to show and share our particular fields of expertise without doing any formal demonstrations. Mainly, we just wandered amongst the crowd and offered advice with the occasional small demo. Special features A special feature of this years event was the pole lathe. Members of the Proserpine club made four, full-size pole lathes. These were based on the designs of four nationalities along with a mini pole lathe, driven by a sewing machine motor, and an instant pole lathe in the park. The pole lathe race on Saturday afternoon could only be called organised mayhem. Four teams were chosen to compete against each other to see who could make a rolling pin the fastest using a pole lathe. The winner would then compete against Steven Hughes and myself in the final. We lost, they cheated, but it was great fun. To complete the day, a pleasant Saturday evening barbecue was spent on the banks of the Lions Lake. The Gallery An instant Gallery of a very high standard was formed in the reception room. Juding for the best work on display, Steven and I decided on a clock made out of north coast Cedar, by Laurie Chetter from Rockhampton. Other notable items included a table lamp made out of a beautiful timber called Dead Finish and a real classy candle stick placed in a bottle - to be used for that romantic Queensland night out with the girlfriend. A Great Event The whole weekend was planned, organised and run by the Proserpine Woodturner, who also manufactured the six pole lathes. The amazing thing about the weekend was that the Proserpine Woodturners consists of only seven people - some say the Magnificent Seven. Everybody who attended agreed it was a great turnout. |
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Doug & CJ on the pole lathe |
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Eddie with toy for kids |
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Pole lathes ready for race |
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George hard at it |
Comments by: Con Jansen Proserpine Woodturners Club The success of the Turnout was due to the enthusiasm of the participants, while under the tent as well as up in the main hall. The craft group, consisting of some 25 ladies, had a broad cross section of very high quality work with them. They soon set up in their marquee and were hard at it, showing how it was done as well as comparing notes. A lot of work had gone into their preparation which was a real credit to them. The turners had better look to their act or be shown up next year!!! Really though, everyone was a lot better set up then ever before resulting in a lot of very interesting things being done, using in some cases, ingenious home-made gear. Special thanks to: Graham and Jan for the great meals; Debbie and Viv and the rest of the line dancers for the Saturday night display; Ellen and Theresa and all the other helpers for their effort, especially at meal times; Gary for our great beret badges; Rose for her artwork; Stephen and George, both for the sharing of their skills and for fully participating in all aspects of the Turnout; to our Group members for their hard work and to all who helped "get" me!!; finally to all attendees who came to have a good time and did. See you all at Turnout 2004. |
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The smallest lathe |
For more great photos from the turnout click on the thumbnails below. |
Gallery Pieces |