The sad, charred remains of the Sugar Pine Walk are being turned into wooden mementos that are selling faster than the Adelong Men's Shed can make them.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Shed secretary Andrea Quinn said they came up with the idea as a way of preserving the memory of the Sugar Pine Walk, which meant a great deal to the locals before it was ravaged by bushfires this year.
The men's shed salvaged the charred wood and used the unburnt inner wood to create cheese boards and children's toys, which the women's shed would burn custom decorations into with pyrography machines.
"There was such a lot of it and it's such a tremendous thing for the area, so we wanted to do something with it that would remind people of the Sugar Pine walk," Ms Quinn said.
"It's been an absolute windfall. We had to close the books at $7000 worth of boards and toys - we've never had that much money in a year before, let alone in a matter of a week."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Orders came pouring in from all over in Adelong, Tumut, Tumbarumba, Batlow, Wagga, and even overseas, forcing them to temporarily suspend orders while they worked on the backlog.
She said the blokes had been "flat out" for the past few weeks trying to churn out as many mementos as possible, saying they would most likely continue to do so for the next 12 months.
The local craft store Rustic Creations has been stocking some of the mementos, however shop volunteer Elly Tunstell said they were vanishing off the shelves faster than they could stock them.
"It's all gone. We've been inundated with orders, so we don't have any stock left," Ms Tunstell said.
"We've been trouble keeping up with the demand because the Sugar Pine Walk was so popular. It was a great place to go, and it was local."
Ms Quinn said they would use some of the money pouring in to give the dilapidated 120-year-old shed a "desperately needed" lick of paint.
She said the money was a great thing for the men's shed and for the community in general, which had suffered deeply from drought, bushfire, and COVID-19.
"It's fabulous for the men's shed and we would like to encourage more men to come, because COVID has affected a lot of guys," Ms Quinn said.
"The men's shed is a real service: we have people who are disenfranchised, people who are isolated, elderly people who are living alone after a lifetime or marriage - the shed is open for everybody."
Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
