LOCAL LIFE
Wagon ho at Windsor Mall
Wagon ho ! This little wagon / stall will be a colourful addition to Windsor Mall . It will be placed outside Hawkesbury Remakery headquarters . Thrilled to have their delighted faces snapped with the wagon are ( l-r ) Jenny O ’ Connell , Merv Rutter , Susan Templeman , Liz Germani , Graham Shakespeare and Steve Bracken . Photo : Kathryn Johnston .
by Greg Martin
“ If you do not believe in co-operation , look what happens to a wagon that loses a wheel ”.
So wrote Napoleon Hill ( 1983-1970 ), an American author and journalist ( and bit of a scallywag !).
Well , lemme tell ya , there ’ s no way in the world that Hawkesbury Remakery ’ s colourful , new market wagon will be losing a wheel !
The main man and woman cooperating in building the colourful wagon were Hawkesbury Remakery founder and director , Liz Germani , and Hawkesbury Woodcraft Cooperative president , Graham Shakespeare .
Back in the Wild West wagon train era , Liz would have been the chief scout , and Graham the wagon master .
Liz germinated the idea of building a market wagon to stand in pride of place out front of Hawkesbury Remakery ’ s new premises at 160 George Street , Windsor .
Liz said Remakery members – all artisans – expressed a desire to have a “ pop-up ” stall installed in front of Remakery headquarters or in Windsor Mall to give members and their goods more exposure .
Liz obviously thought it was a great idea and as Remakery had already established a strong relationship with Hawkesbury Woodcrafters , she contacted Graham Shakespeare .
“ That was back in July last year and Liz and I agreed that a colouful wagon would fit the bill perfectly ,” Graham said .
“ The first component of the wagon , an undercarriage , was one which our members could design and build .
“ Liz put on her sleuth hat and searched far and wide for a suitable undercarriage before eventually finding one on Facebook .
“ Once we had the undercarriage we were able to provide a design , which , after much tinkering , we came up with something which would fit the bill .”
Once Graham had the design down pat , those wily woodcrafters gave them to Mr Ply at McGraths Hill and the company cut the floor , walls and roof .
That was back in early February and over the ensuing three months Graham and fellow members , Merv Rutter , Steve Bracken and Jenny O ’ Connell , put in untold hours assembling the wagon . As well as praising Graham and his talented team , Liz also voiced her gratitude to the Federal Member for Macquarie , Susan Templeman , who organised a $ 4200 grant through the Stronger Communities Program .
“ The generosity and skill of the artisans at the co-op is incredible ,” Liz said .
“ Many great design and engineering details – I ’ m overwhelmed and so appreciative - we owe a huge vote of thanks to Grahame Shakespeare and his co-op members .”
Liz said the Remakery wagon would have its home base at the Remakery centre .
“ Our makers can hire the wagon at a minimal rate to display their wares and if required , hirers can relocate it temporarily to other sites ,” she said .
The Remakery Wagon made its public debut at the Hawkesbury Show and was a real hit with passers-by .
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A LOCAL TRADIE ???? When you need a local tradie visit our website : www . theindependentmagazine . com . au All our local tradies are all in one spot on our website so keep your business local and ring locally !!
4572
7549 “ For Great Service & Competitive Prices ” Come Visit Us In Store
729 George Street SOUTH WINDSOR
WIDE RANGE OF LANDSCAPE SUPPLIES , TOOLS & HARDWARE !
• Garden Soils
• Topdressing Soils
• Turf Underlay
• Sand
• Fertilisers
• Manure
• Decorative Pebbles
• Decorative Mulches
• Cement Products
• Building Supplies
• Bricks , Blocks & Pavers
• Firewood
Phone 4572 7549 www . parkleasandsoil . com . au
THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 168 // MAY 2024 11