FEATURE - Wood ‘n’ Art

Born with artist’s ink coursing through her veins and the determination to have a go at anything, Philippa Friend is just one of many women working the saws at the Blackall Range Woodcrafters Guild.

by Judy Fredriksen

No longer the exclusive domain of men, woodcrafting has become a popular pastime for women, with any misconceptions that a shed full of saws is no place for a woman being cast aside like sawdust onto the floor. 

Although Philippa – originally from New Zealand – was a secondary school English teacher, she inherited an artistic flair from her father. 

“My father was a dairy farmer and so I had a childhood on the farm. That was probably the beginning of all my creativity because my father built everything. He built their own house; he built the piggery … He was also very artistic; he was an excellent painter and drawer. His mother had been an artist in London.”

Philippa recalls her father teaching her to draw pictures in the dirt, using just a stick, when she was only four years old. That lesson provided a formative framework that led Philippa to becoming a gifted artist and art teacher. 

As an adult, Philippa moved to Canberra in 1987 and joined an art group. It was also in Canberra where she experienced the frustration of not being able to find a suitable Australian-made toy for her niece in England. This event ended up steering her towards woodcraft.

“I went to buy a jigsaw puzzle in a toyshop in Canberra, and her mother said, ‘a kangaroo would be lovely … you know, with joey’.

After scouring the shops in Canberra, the only one Philippa could find was not made in Australia; it was made in Israel!

“I thought, well, if someone else can make it, I can make it for goodness sake! So I investigated a bit further and found that I needed a scroll saw … and that was basically it.

A scroll saw. Sandpaper. Paints – I already had. 

“The ideas – I already had them. So I got the scroll saw and made the jigsaw and sent it off to England. They were terribly pleased with it.”

That one homemade jigsaw puzzle eventually turned into hundreds, as word of Philippa’s talent spread around the pre-schools of Canberra. 

On moving to Forest Glen in 2004, she continued to make children’s jigsaw puzzles for her grandchildren and their friends, as well as teaching art. Along the way, she learnt the technique of pyrography, which, she says, came naturally to her as an artist.

Then in 2013, through her art connections, she decided to expand her imaginative skills and join the Blackall Range Woodcrafters Guild (BRWG – fondly known as the ‘Woodies’).

At that time, she was following in the wake of dozens of other women who had become members. At the inception of the Woodies in 1996, three women were inaugural members while around 170 have since joined. 

Philippa instantly felt welcome and at home.

“The first reaction to any new member, by the older members here, is to help and to direct them to where the wood is; how to choose the good piece of timber to do whatever you’re doing; which machines are best; which member to go and see about something.

“I have never belonged to any group, at any stage of my life, which is so consistently friendly, helpful, constructive, and positive.”

Maybe that’s because the BRWG is a guild, not a club. BRWG is modelled on the medieval trade guilds which focused on teaching various building skills. Philippa is adamant it’s not a men’s shed. 

“It doesn't have that sort of vibe at all.”

Under the tutelage of the Woodies, Philippa’s woodworking skills continued to grow to include practical items like jewellery and document boxes and bookshelves and this year, she decided to join the toy making team of six men and one woman. 

Every year for the past 30 years, and in collaboration with the Mapleton Craft Group, the Woodies trademark has been to make and donate thousands of toys to the Salvation Army at Christmas.

“One of my observations with the toys was that there seemed to be a lot of wheeled items. Now wheeled items generally end up being boys’ toys. They are often little trucks and so on.”

This got Philippa thinking; she saw the need for a unisex toy and of course, the ideal choice was a jigsaw puzzle, and she set to work!

“I’ve made 100 of them, and I’ve made them suitable for 2–4-year-olds ... they’re little jigsaws – about 20cm square and they feature mostly birds and animals of various sorts. And I tried hard to include native creatures as well.”

As Christmas approaches, around 350–400 wooden toys will be placed in hampers for needy children in Western Queensland. Among them will be the jigsaw puzzles, trucks, racing cars, trinket boxes, trains, cots and cradles (occupied by dolls, teddies and bedding beautifully crafted by the Mapleton Craft Group).

So if the idea of becoming one of Santa’s helpers appeals, Philippa has this to say of the Woodies:

“It’s a very creative organisation, open to all … anybody, of any capability or age can make the toys. It’s a philanthropic, kind act; they’re going to needy people and families.” 

The Woodies always welcome new members.

blackallrangewoodies.org.au/home