Jonathan
Sanders
Cowan, NSW
‘Down
by the Creek’
river redgum
‘I was
living in Dubbo and was impressed by the
few remaining large river redgums behind
the shops on the alluvial terraces above
the river. When Woollies was re-developed
I was unhappy that the redgums in the
car park had to go. Told they were destined
for the dump I thought this a tragic waste
and asked if I could have one, without
any idea of how I would deal with the
practicalities of handling it. Returning
a couple of days later I found the council
had insisted the trees go without delay
and only two stumps were left. A swift
deal, a carton of beer and ten tonnes
of redgum stump and dirt were dumped on
my driveway. For almost a year I was the
joke of Dubbo while I tried to figure
out how I would mill it.’
‘I am a
botanist by training and have worked for
many years in conservation, especially
being professionally involved in some
of the major debates about forestry and
conservation of forest environments and
clearing of native woodlands. At the same
time I have always been consumed with
wonder at the innate beauty of Australian
woods and repeatedly had impressed upon
me (especially by old loggers) that we
don’t appreciate these timbers the
way that they deserve. A major driving
force in my woodworking has been to salvage
Australian trees that have been felled
and are being tossed away.
‘I was
particularly inspired by the age of the
river redgum and all the history that
the tree had been witness to, the habitat
values that this tree provided when alive
and the wish to continue providing habitat
for the yabbie, insects and other relics
of nature and the drive to bring out the
unappreciated beauty of Australian wood
that had been destined to rot unappreciated
on the rubbish dump.
The idea emerged from the slab, which
looked very reminiscent of an Aboriginal
dug-out canoe when first cut. When I started
carving I found the areas of grain naturally
flowed like streams across the western
NSW landscape and my carving followed
these.
‘I am a
one-handed woodie, so I wouldn’t
have been able to do this without the
valued assistance and input of my friend,
Denis Hay.’ |
