Men’s Shed Turn Historic Timber into Handcrafted Treasures 

Photo of author
Written By Alyssa Mackay

The talented members of the Stafford Men’s Shed have been busy preserving local history in a unique and sustainable way. 

The group has been repurposing the historic timber floorboards of Brisbane City Hall into a variety of handcrafted items. 

Stafford Men’s Shed secretary Peter Renwick said the project began about three years ago when they received a phone call from a contractor tasked with removing the floorboards from the City Hall auditorium. 

“He explained that he had approximately four to five tons of jarrah floorboards, and a condition of his contract was that the floorboards could not be dumped or burned and were therefore offered to our shed,” Peter said. 

“Without exception, every board was damaged in the removal process, which resulted in strips of approximately 40 by 18 millimetres being recovered after removal of the broken edges (tongue and groove). An additional difficulty in recovering usable timber was the existence of many nails that had been used to ‘secret nail’ the original floor down.” 

Handcrafted Items and Special Projects

Nevertheless, the men persevered and crafted a range of items from the recovered timber, including key fobs, bottle stoppers, coffee tampers, cheese slider handles and cheese boards. 

One member, a Vietnam veteran, made a storage and presentation box for his military honours and awards, while 10 biros were given to Marchant Ward Councillor Danita Parry’s office to be used as gifts. 

A particularly special moment occurred in December last year when a gift board was presented to a couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. 

“Their wedding reception was held in the City Hall auditorium and, as the bride explained, she probably performed her bridal waltz on the very boards that were a highlight of her gift board,” Peter said. 

“Our remaining stock of timber is used sparingly and for significant projects only, in the hope that stocks of this valuable historical resource will continue to be available for several years to come.” 

Councillor Parry, a supporter of the Men’s Shed, said there was something so special about Brisbane’s history being preserved in these beautifully handcrafted items. 

“It’s incredible to think that these floorboards were walked on by thousands of people; Brisbane locals, tourists, celebrities, World War II soldiers – the list goes on,” she said. 

“Now, instead of ending up in landfill, they are being repurposed by the talented fellas from the Men’s Shed and will continue to serve the people of Brisbane for generations to come.” 

For more information about the Stafford Men’s Shed, including opening hours and how to become involved, go to mensshed.org/sheds/stafford-mens-shed/ or call 0421 144 445. 

Read more stories from the Chermside Guide’s print magazine here: