Jo Jack, woodworker

Seventeen years in the police force has taught Jo Jack a thing or two, but showing up to her first meeting of the Balclutha Woodworkers Society with homemade fudge? That was just common sense. It was just the thing to help sweeten the older male members – she was, after all, in need of their tips and tricks of the trade. It was Jo’s father who handed her her first carpentry project – she had her eye on a friend’s designer side table but when she asked her father for his help, he passed her the hammer and told her she was making it herself. “He made me realize that I could make things – and how to work things out.” It was a skill that became useful when she moved to Balclutha after her long spell as a police officer in Wellington and Christchurch – joining the farmer that she’d met (and since married) and starting a family. It was when the youngest of her three girls turned two that she began to brainstorm ways to increase their income. “I had often whipped up wooden toys and items up for friends and family, so I started making a few extra to see if there was interest. Now I’ve just had to hire a local schoolboy to help out – I just can’t keep up.” Her niche is rustic home décor – birthday boards, initial boards, height charts and more are handcrafted in macrocarpa from the family farm or local suppliers. And she’s always on the lookout for her next project – building a straw bale home is the ultimate dream. “My power tool collection is growing. I just bought a biscuit joiner so my mind is working overtime as to what I can create next. What I do know is it will be natural, unprocessed and made with so much love.” facebook.com/ 3ginghamgirls