I have always enjoyed creating and welding and I have put these 2 together to create several items for both my personal enjoyment and for friends. I was excited to read about Sculpture on the Farm and to create a work that has special meaning to me – my love of nature and in particular Deer.

A couple of my pieces are currently on display in the shop – The Dungog Trading Post.

I was born in Scone, home of the Wannarua and Gamilaroi people – known as Wannarua Country. I am the 3rd child to John and Therese. We lived quite a long way from the nearest town and life for me was simple, on the farm and hanging around Dad and his workshop.

I learned to use his tools at a young age and became very hands on and competent by the time I started at Boarding school in Armidale. Here at TAS I had the opportunity to use my art and my trade ability and started a Boilermaker School Based apprenticeship (SBAT) when I was in Year 11. Both School and my SBAT role enabled me to explore my love of creating and working with metal and I made a couple of major works that I still have and use today. These being a fire pit that has our property name cut out in steel and a practical steel workbench with drawers that I use every day in my workshop.

My opportunities in both home, school and then work have brought me here today to enter my first official sculpture in my new home town of Dungog. I moved here to be closer to Tomago where I spent 2 years in a large steel business where I have further been able to develop by boiler-making skills.