Today the Woodwork and Craft Club, Currumbin Waters, possibly SE Queensland and perhaps Australia, made woodworking history. For the next 6 fortnightly Saturdays (March 2, 16, April 6, 20, May 4, 18) the club opened it’s doors to women and men on Saturdays.
Their flyer says…”Want to find something useful to do, feel part of your local community, learn some new skills, be productive, make new friends?” WE DO!
Belinda Rennie: It’s the first time I’ve stepped inside the Woodwork and Craft club off Galleon Way. It felt very welcoming; it’s like an aircraft hanger and it seems a very under-utilised community resource.
What did this moment mean to you Kym when women gathered here for the first time today?
Kym Oconnell: It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for 5 years. I’ve wanted a place where women and their families can feel welcome – men, women, creatives, artists, potters, builders, carpenters, joiners. The Woodwork and Craft Club is an artists and builders haven, Gold Coast’s best kept secret.
It’s been my dream to have this door open to me and other women, to others who have missed out on manual arts training or who have the skills but don’t have the equipment, teachers or place to go.
BR: What does it mean particularly for local women to have this resource available?
It’s game changing. When women activate their hands in a creative way to build and fix things, self worth and confidence skyrocket, especially when taught by incredible men who want to bring out the best in people. I want this to be a safe place where we can come to build, fix, repair anything including our lives and connect with others socially when times are tough.
BR I so enjoyed speaking to Richard, Mick and Ian who seemed very welcoming. How receptive has the club been to opening on the weekends or at times when women can access?
KO: It’s taken me a year of asking, showing up to meetings, showing woodworking teachers and taking interested community members on a tour of the Club. For the last 4 years I have supported the Club by buying fixtures and products for my shop in the Currumbin Ecovillage.
Yet, we have only been granted access on a Saturday to the shed for women and men every fortnight on a trial period. I am hoping to show through our continued dedication to the club that this will be extended, fulfilling a community need.
We lost half our members after Covid and now very few school kids come through our doors. It’s a good opportunity to enlarge our community with new energy, and an opportunity for generosity.
Richard, club Treasurer
BR: Women woodworkers are a movement that is not going away. What did you notice on Saturday?
KO: There were 35 new eyeballs on the shed wanting to be a part of something historic and great. The membership has almost doubled overnight! The Club has an incredible opportunity right now to expand membership, keeping the club alive, bringing joy and happiness into the shed and sharing their gift with others.
The club members who were in attendance seemed to be open and receptive; revived by the energy and authenticity of these women who are committed to learning new skills.
“Everything we do is recycled. We get the plywood from a marine boat maker, rescued pallets, community donations, deceased estates. We don’t chop trees down.”
Mick, club member
BR: Why haven’t more sheds become co-educational?
KO: There are 1200 sheds in Australia, 4 sheds in QLD that are Women’s only sheds. There is an elephant in the room that is not being addressed; it’s a lack of opportunities and access for women to learn these skills and having the doors of these sheds open to them. It will need to change, especially as natural disasters become more commonplace; these sheds become central to the rebuilding of communities like the “Shedders” in Mullumbimby after the floods.
I just came to observe today. I’ve been sawing things for 60 years but today I’ve just learnt how to do it properly. Patt breaks the skills down into easy steps to follow. It was wonderful to be part of.
Sue, Currumbin Waters
Yearly membership to The Woodwork and Craft Club is $75 and $5 covers a weekly contribution. Members need to have or be applying for a blue card if accessing the shed on weekdays during school times.
