Kyogle News

LOCAL WOODWORKER AND HIS AWARD-WINNING BAR STOOL

Published

1 year ago

18 May 2023

JeffG

LOCAL WOODWORKER AND HIS AWARD-WINNING BAR STOOL

By Sarah Waters

The talents of Kyogle woodworker Garan Hale have been recognised on the national stage with one of his furniture creations taking out a top prize.

For more than 40 years, Mr Hale has created solid timber joinery and fine furniture, using traditional joinery methods, for builders, architects and luxury homeowners in the Northern Rivers and Southeast Queensland.

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Earlier this month, his bar stool ‘Stella’ won the Sunshine Coast Wootha Prize in the furniture category at The Maleny Wood Expo.

The Maleny Wood Expo is considered one of the best wood shows in Australia.

The Wootha Prize exhibit is a main attraction, which offers wood artisans and furniture makers, from across Australia, the chance to showcase their sustainably crafted pieces.

This year, entrants were invited to explore the theme ‘Dovetails’ which was open to their interpretation.

Mr Hale said after years of working with ‘everything to do with wood’ he was at the point in his career where he wanted to focus predominantly on making furniture.

“I wanted to enter my stool just to get some more exposure for it,” Mr Hale said.

“But it didn’t have any traditional dovetail joints in it, so I thought I’d design a (bird’s) dove tail,” he said.

Mr Hale studied a dove tail, came up with a drawing and experimented with about 40 different feathers he handcrafted.

He estimates the overall process took about 80 hours of work, but he lost count along the way.

“I initially started making the feathers, with a central stem, with a 30-degree angle between the stem and the outer feather.

“I made about 40 feathers of different Australian timbers to get the colours coordinated and the detail of the dove’s tail, before I could start the inlay process.”

Each of the 18 feathers, he decided on for his final design, were inlaid separately into the curved bar stool seat, before being flushed off and detailed.

The local Australian timbers Mr Hale used included red cedar, white cedar, red gum, white beech, tulip oak, silky oak and blue quandong.

He specially wanted to showcase local Australian timber in his design.

“I’m all about the promotion of Australian timber.

“We’ve got some of the best timber in the world and we’ve got more variety of timber on the east coast of Australia, than anywhere else in the world – bar the Amazon.

“From a woodworker’s point of view, it really does start from the forest.

“You really need to understand forestry and the different types of trees … where they grow and where they don’t grow and what trees are the best to use for different types of woodwork.

“Certain types of Australian wood have a class 1 durability, so they’re really good for strength and structure, such as Tallowwood and Crow’s ash, whereas other cabinet timbers are really good to look at.”

Despite Mr Hale’s reputation as a highly talented woodworker, he had never competed in a woodworking competition before and had no expectations about how he was going to go.

“After all these years, I feel confident making anything from wood, but there are a lot of good wood workers around and it’s all up to the judge’s discretion.”

The judges noted ‘the exceptional quality of work and craftsmanship’ in his furniture design.

Mr Hale said he now hopes to bring many of his other designs to life.

“There’s still plenty I want to do – I’ve got all these designs in my head.

“The older I get, the more I realise how lucky I am to be a part of that journey where I’m creating and constantly challenging myself.”

All of Mr Hale’s creations are made from local timber he salvages from trees which have fallen over on farms, bushland or washed up in floods.

He has a factory-style set up at his home, where he mills the timber, strips it back and dries it, a process which can take 12 – 15 months (depending on the season) before he is able to use it for woodwork.

When he is not in his shed working with wood, he spends time regenerating seven acres of native bush on his property.

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Kyogle News

COUNT DOWN TO THE KYOGLE READERS AND WRITERS FESTIVAL

Published

4 days ago

15 May 2024

Liam

COUNT DOWN TO THE KYOGLE READERS AND WRITERS FESTIVAL

This year’s Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival kicks off this Friday 17 May and runs across Saturday 18 May. Centred around the KMI Hall and the Roxy Gallery in downtown Kyogle, the Festival features an array of talented writers including Melissa Lucashenko, Mirandi Riwoe, Jessie Cole, Michael Burge, Tim Baker, Ellen van Neerven, Corey Tutt and many, many more.

Special guest, Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis, will be in conversation with Angela Catterns, talking about his latest book as well as his love for gardening.

A smorgasbord of panels will discuss a range of topics including Indigenous writing, gardening and gardening literature, writing as an outsider, towards a more ethical and sustainable society and the use of alternative therapies.

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Lovers of poetry are well catered for with a workshop on performance poetry as well as the Page and Stage Poetry event taking place at the Kyogle Golf Club later on Saturday.

The festival promises to offer something for all lovers of books, poetry and writing in all its varied forms.

Festival passes are still available for purchase online and tickets for single events will be available on Saturday at the Festival Box Office in Stratheden Street.

For more information, head over to the website here.

For more Kyogle news, click here.

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Kyogle News

Kyogle Memorial Institute is the cultural hub of Kyogle community

Published

4 days ago

15 May 2024

Liam

Kyogle Memorial Institute is the cultural hub of Kyogle community

The latest improvements to the Kyogle Memorial Institute (KMI) have cemented the hall’s standing as the cultural hub of the Kyogle community, Kyogle Mayor Kylie Webster said.

The work completed earlier this month includes new cinema-style seating in the gallery overlooking the stage, movable stackable chairs for the hall, a mechanical winch system for new lighting bars over the stage and audience; acoustic improvements (centre-fill speaker arrangement; ceiling hung acoustic panels, curtains that hang on the walls); new stage curtains and scrim; and shelving.

Cr Webster said Council had also repaired a large area of the roof, built a new steel support structure over the stage to hold the new curtains and lights, and repaired a section of the gallery which had been damaged by a water leak.

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This latest project follows previous work to upgrade the Banquet Room and kitchen and create the Roxy Gallery space.

“Council has been progressively upgrading the KMI to ensure this wonderful building is safe, comfortable, and able to meet the needs of the community for years to come,” Cr Webster said.

The recently completed work, part funded by a Federal Government Creative Capital Grant, has received a tick of approval from the Village Hall Players.

“We are thrilled,” a spokesperson for the theatre group said.

“As well as the big-ticket items, there were small thoughtful things like reading lights for the Stage Manager and off-prompt positions.

“Thank you, Kyogle Council, for making our hall so much better for cast, crew and audiences alike.”

For more Kyogle news, click here.

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Kyogle News

Public Consultation: Have Your Say on Private Native Forestry Plan

Published

1 week ago

9 May 2024

Liam

Public Consultation: Have Your Say on Private Native Forestry Plan

The Kyogle Council is calling on community members to share their input on a significant planning proposal that may change the governance of Private Native Forestry (PNF) operations within our region. The State Government has proposed that Local Land Services (LLS) become the sole consent authority for PNF activities in the Kyogle Council area, shifting the current requirement where landowners need approvals from both the LLS and Council.

Currently, this approval process applies to land zoned RU1 – Primary Production and RU4 – Primary Production Small Lots. The proposed change aims to streamline the process by making LLS the only body that grants operational consent for private native forestry.

Key Points of the Proposal:

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Unchanged Environmental Safeguards: Although the consenting authority may change, the legislative requirements for landowners to conduct forestry operations responsibly will not be altered. These operations must continue to avoid adverse environmental impacts.
Ongoing Monitoring: The NSW Environmental Protection Agency will maintain its role, overseeing the compliance of PNF operations to environmental standards.

How You Can Participate: The community’s views are invaluable, and we encourage everyone to participate in this consultation process. The proposal details are available for public viewing until 4 PM on Friday, 7 June. You can access the document on the Kyogle Council’s website under the Public Notices section.

Submitting Your Feedback: Please send your written submissions to the attention of the Director of Planning and Community Development. Submissions can be mailed to PO Box 11, Kyogle, NSW, 2474, or emailed to council@kyogle.nsw.gov.au.

The Council will compile all feedback and submit it to the State Government for consideration before a final decision is made. This is an opportunity for you to influence the management of our natural resources and ensure the sustainability of our local environment. Your participation is crucial in shaping the future of forestry in our community.

For more Kyogle news, click here.

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