Our wonderful Woodies at The Arbour

The Arbour Berry’s wonderful Woodies have created 30 handcrafted and individually painted wooden toys purposely made to entertain and put smiles on the faces of the young children affected by the bushfires across the South Coast of NSW.

Gil Scott led the initiative which included the work and dedication of many hours from fellow woodworkers Eddie Watts and Ross Barrett. Together they designed, assembled and painted the most gorgeously crafted trains, racing cars and super trucks with custom wood stained trays! Having discovered that the emergency service providers had been inundated with clothes and toys, the chaps then reached out to Evie Rankmore, a lead Case Manager with Crisis Shoalhaven Services, with a key focus on young children. Within just a few days children right across the Shoalhaven area had an extra slice of wonderful in their day.

A history of the Woodies

The Woodies were formed by pioneer Arbour resident Tom Darby who was a highly qualified and seasoned Industrial Art Educator and furniture designer with a passion for all things creative. The ‘Woodies’ was initiated as an interest group for residents to learn about the craft and to create wooden pieces for the village, local community groups and assist residents as they were able with wooden maintenance jobs. Since their establishment, the Woodies have created numerous pieces which can be enjoyed around The Arbour village, such as bench seats throughout the grounds, the cleverly crafted lectern and table in the cinema, as well as numerous furniture repairs including the refurbishment of a ferret box. Over time the Woodies group has included many male and female members of The Arbour Berry and we look forward to seeing their future masterpieces.