Queenscliff & District Woodworkers
The Woodies (not in the North American sense!) are a Bellarine Peninsula organisation that meets in the Drysdale Community Hall on the first and third Monday of each month at 2:00 PM. With a membership of around 67 retired men and women, there are a wide range of experiences from which they can draw. In their previous lives, the members came from all walks of life - engineers, farmers, school teachers, salesmen, ministers (they are the ones who don't swear out loud when they hit their thumbs with a hammer), boat builders, accountants, etc.

At club meetings, new and old members, experts and learners, all share their experience and knowledge, and proudly display their efforts in a show and tell session, followed by a speaker who is usually drawn from the membership. Special interest groups help each other to build model ships, practice furniture restoration, learn wood finishing techniques, make carvings, etc.

Queenscliff club member Phil Ward Phil is an exponent of fine craftsmanship and miniature turning. He is currently honing his skills in the art of boxmaking. This example of his work (above) is a section of blackwood log sliced in two, soft glued and turned, broken apart and then the back pieces are fitted.

Member Albert Hildebrand is a versatile woodcrafter abd turner who has carefully chosen, fitted, then laminated differentspecies of wood to produce the very pleasing results shown above.

In January each year, the club mounts a week-long exhibition to showcase the skills and enthusiasm of its members. Held each year in the Uniting Church Hall in Queenscliff, the exhibition is centrally located in the historic tourist town.

The Model A Ford model shown above was featured in last year's Expo. It was lovingly crafted by member Geoff Anderson, who pored over magazines and original manuals, and spent many enjoyable hours at the Ford Discovery Museum in Geelong.

Diablo Woodworkers
I'm a pretty feisty guy for my age, but I have to admit I got tired just scrolling through the most recent newsletter on the Diablo Woodworkers' Web site. These folks have more energy than a kindergarten class on a cookie break!

According to member Bill Tarleton, DW is "a no dues club that has the support of the local adult education system. They recognize that we keep interest high for the woodworking classes offered there. Important also is that the San Francisco Bay Area is a tremendous resource for speakers. There are many, many wood artists in this area who keep members coming to meetings to get new and different ideas. We have about 10 members that have lifetime positions to keep the club active and interesting. Each must die or find someone to take their job to get away from the club."
That kind of dedication is pretty widespread among the members of Diablo Woodworkers.
"This club has turned into such a stimulating pastime," Bill says, "that we have very low turnover of members. Membership is exceeding 250 currently, with meetings attended by an average of 70 people. About 10-15% are women, and probably 50% are retired. Only a couple are professional woodworkers or artists."

Over the next six months, the Diablo Woodworkers have club meetings scheduled at a couple of furniture makers' shops and a carver's studio. The December meeting is a showcase for members' projects. Other shop tours are organized for every month - July through November - covering lumber making, a Center of Forestry and several club member's shops. They're even going to have a Barbecue and Pot Luck dinner at a local winery. Now, that's a club I'd like to join!