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Allan at Wallan
2nd April 2009, 02:48 PM
A couple of weeks ago I went back to my boyhood town, Powelltown, which is a small community of 200 people. There is only a timber mill and a general store there.

I was standing outside the general store and looking at a small miner's cottage
next door in which I lived as a youngster. Beside the cottage was a small wooden garage. On closer inspection I noticed the garage has been turned into the
"Little Yarra Gallery" which I entered. Fair dinkum, my hair stood on end as the
shed is now full of woodturnings. The proprietor is not a wood turner but specializes in pyrography and his wife makes scented soaps etc. The woodturned items are submitted by local turners.

I introduced myself and within minutes he had requested me to have a look inside the cottage and see what changes he had made recently. It was hard enough for me to remember the original interior as I lived in it some 60 years ago. It was hard to tell who was more excited as we both enjoyed the experience.

He invited me to put some woodturned items in there for sale. As there were no pens on sale but plenty of other items I took him up on his offer. I then cleaned up a piece
of Osage Orange, about the size of a dinner plate and two inches thick, sanded the top and gave it some coats of Minwax Wipe on Poly, drilled ten holes in the top and placed a pen in each hole. Looks ok even if I say so myself. I apologize that I did
not think to take a photo of the finished item/s. I went back on Tuesday this week and submitted the pens etc to him.

To show my appreciation I also presented him with a business card holder and about eighty business cards showing his gallery details. I had done them in my computer and then laminated them. Previously his cards were rather primitive and done with a rubber stamp. He and his wife really appreciated the gift.

While it will be nice to sell some pens through the gallery I am simply chuffed that my pens are for sale in what used to be the garage for our 1928 Dodge. The front door of it must have nearly worn out as I practised for many hours belting a tennis ball against it in a bid to be better than Ken Rosewall and others. Ahhh, memories.

Allan

Sawdust Maker
2nd April 2009, 03:05 PM
great story and no doubt fond memories and new memories :2tsup:
hope you sell a pen or two

NeilS
2nd April 2009, 03:12 PM
Allan

:2tsup:... one thumb for the story and the other for lots of pen sales.


Neil

artme
2nd April 2009, 05:11 PM
:2tsup: Great story Allan!!

Skew ChiDAMN!!
2nd April 2009, 05:35 PM
:worthless: Of the house, the gallery and anything you may put in there!

Powelltown? Powelltown? That rings a bell, but I can't quite place the place. :think: Other side of Yarra Junction?

ElizaLeahy
2nd April 2009, 06:40 PM
That is a wonderful story. Although pictures would be good, your words paint a picture of their own. It's a true "bush ballad"!

Thank you for sharing it with us!

Allan at Wallan
2nd April 2009, 08:19 PM
:worthless: Of the house, the gallery and anything you may put in there!

Powelltown? Powelltown? That rings a bell, but I can't quite place the place. :think: Other side of Yarra Junction?

Thank you all for your kind comments.:2tsup:

Skew: Yes, it used to ring a bell (until they closed the church) and it is
about 17 kms from Yarra Junction on the road to Noojee.

Have managed to now include a photo of the gallery with our old cottage
to the right of screen.

Cheers,

Allan

dai sensei
2nd April 2009, 09:20 PM
Looks familiar to me to, probably passed it whilst lost and looking for forumite residences :U

Great story Allan.

tea lady
2nd April 2009, 10:05 PM
Great story. Who ever said you can't go home.:cool:

ficfac
2nd April 2009, 10:57 PM
:2tsup: Great story Allan!!


here here :)

munruben
2nd April 2009, 11:10 PM
Must have been a great experience mate. Love the picture. Must bring back a lot of memories for you.

terry arnold
2nd April 2009, 11:16 PM
If you sell a pen or 2 its a bonus!!!

Cheers Terry:U:U

NeilS
3rd April 2009, 09:24 AM
Have managed to now include a photo of the gallery with our old cottage
to the right of screen.



.... Idyllic!


Neil

Ed Reiss
3rd April 2009, 11:48 AM
:U ...what they all said twice over:2tsup:

Farnk
3rd April 2009, 07:34 PM
Thank you all for your kind comments.:2tsup:

Skew: Yes, it used to ring a bell (until they closed the church) and it is
about 17 kms from Yarra Junction on the road to Noojee.

Have managed to now include a photo of the gallery with our old cottage
to the right of screen.

Cheers,

Allan

Well done Alan!
Always tugs the heart strings when you explore the places of your youth!
Powelltown is a wonderful place, been through quite a lot recently for work as it's on the back road out from home to Tarago. (I've been doing some work on the new water treatment plant out there.)

I was passing through a couple of months ago and stopped into the Timber mill to say G'day and see what sort of timbers they process. What was intended as a brief chat ended up as a half hour tour of the plant and me on my way with a big heap of offcuts that were just right for some turned christmas trees I was making for a local kinder.

Great towns like that are a breath of fresh air after suburbia!

I hope you sell a heap of pens mate!

Skew ChiDAMN!!
4th April 2009, 01:09 AM
Skew: Yes, it used to ring a bell (until they closed the church) and it is about 17 kms from Yarra Junction on the road to Noojee.

Have managed to now include a photo of the gallery with our old cottage
to the right of screen.

I know the cottage. :2tsup: Would've been a good place to be a kid.

The reason the name rang a bell? I spent a few months out there fencing paddocks by hand. (Which is probably also why I forgot the name... :rolleyes:)

RETIRED
4th April 2009, 03:43 AM
Nice little place.
We used it a lot in the late 70's for the main staging area for car rallies.

ElizaLeahy
4th April 2009, 07:16 AM
It looks familiar! I was in Victoria on a driving holiday a few years ago - I wonder if I stopped there?

Thanks for the photo!

Wood Borer
4th April 2009, 08:43 AM
Wonderful story about a wonderful place.

This area was in the heart of the recent fires and I recommend that those who live nearby such as in Melbourne do both themselves and the local community a favour by visiting the area.

Lots of easy forest tracks that can be negotiated in the family car (no need for 4WD on most of the tracks), tons of places for family picnics amongst the tall trees.

BTW check out the Ada tree not far from Powelltown - a huge Mountain Ash that is one of the largest still standing, again easy access for the family sedan with toilets nearby.

Do yourself a favour and see this wonderful only a a short easy drive from Melbourne.

Allan at Wallan
4th April 2009, 11:04 AM
Thanks again for your comments. Wood Borer hit the nail on the head
when he suggested it is a nice place to visit during a drive. Also good to
see and Skew have a knowledge of the place.

The cottage is next door to the general store. The proprietor has added
an area called the "Powelly Pub". If you go into the store/pub you
simply must have a look at the view from the back verandah. The
embankment slopes down to the Little Yarra River with a magnificent
stand of tree ferns and lush forest behind it. I will post a picture on
this site next time I visit the area.

Allan

lubbing5cherubs
4th April 2009, 11:50 AM
Wow that is awesome. Little towns ae always nice and freindly. I was wondering if you have a photo of you 1928 Dodge. My husband has 1928 dodge truck that he wants to get done up. She still drives and everything. Do you have a photo of it?
Toni

Allan at Wallan
4th April 2009, 05:09 PM
Great story. Who ever said you can't go home.:cool:

Usually my wife saying, "Don't bother coming home".:D

Allan at Wallan
4th April 2009, 05:11 PM
Wow that is awesome. Little towns ae always nice and freindly. I was wondering if you have a photo of you 1928 Dodge. My husband has 1928 dodge truck that he wants to get done up. She still drives and everything. Do you have a photo of it?
Toni

Hi Toni,
Our 1928 Dodge was a passenger car called a "Dodge Flying Four"
as I remember. Your husband obviously has a truck. Sorry can't help.

Allan

Skew ChiDAMN!!
4th April 2009, 07:20 PM
Also good to see and Skew have a knowledge of the place.

When I first got my Driver's License, I was all over that area like a rash. 'Twas either that or head in to the city.

Nowadays, I still prefer to head in that direction, although being mainly pedestrian rather restricts my distance considerably. :-


Great story. Who ever said you can't go home.:cool:

You can always "go home." Living there is another matter. My childhood home is now the middle of a street in a building estate :C and my Uncle's 1/5th acre slice of suburbia is built right on the edge of our old dam... which was dug over the top of a natural spring.

(A few years back he built an extension on the back and I told him he should run a floating slab rather than stumps 'cos 'twas right over the ol' spring. Several times. But did he listen? :no: Since then one of his favourite yarns is about "having" to sink two telephone poles per stump. After all, what did I know? I only spent some fifteen years swimming in the hole that used to be there... :roll:)

Curse you, Allan! Now you got me reminiscing! :p

Calm
27th April 2009, 02:10 PM
I missed this first time round Alan

Great story :2tsup::2tsup:
- i started life in a street in Springvale off Police road - got a funny feeling it is now part of the crematorium - (No comments required) -
anyway Alan it probably doesnt matter if you dont get rich selling pens -you already enrichened your memory by just going for a look. - sad thing memery doesnt buy groceries.:2tsup::2tsup:

Are the pens marked so purchasers can tell te maker?

cheers

Allan at Wallan
27th April 2009, 02:46 PM
Yes David, the pens each have a ticket attached showing
the name of the wood and that they are made by
"Allan at Wallan".

I rang the proprietor a couple of days ago and he said they
have created interest and that customers have started buying.

I don't expect to get rich but will be satisfied with just
having them there - if only for nostalgia.:roll:

Allan

Rum Pig
29th April 2009, 03:15 PM
Good story pity about the lack of photos but a great read:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup: