Bush craft in the city
We live here ‘cos we love it! Touch of Toowoomba: Bush Christmas Exhibition, November 27
THE annual Bush Christmas Exhibition opened yesterday.
The event, now in its 23rd year, brings the best work from regional Queensland artisans to the heart of Toowoomba.
It is the perfect place to pick up unique gifts for you loved ones.
Sue Henzell
We are from Back Plains, between Clifton and Pittsworth.
I sell wooden bowls, plates and other products.
I do not actually make anything – my husband does all that.
I just sell it, pack it and tell him if they are any good.
My husband uses all sorts of timber and wood he finds around the place.
I encourage people to pick up our bowls and feel the grain of the wood.
You do not have to buy the bowls to enjoy them.
This is our third time at the exhibition. It has been excellent for us.
The first year we sold out in the first couple of the days and last year we had hardly anything left.
Judy Felton-Taylor
We have a farm a Goondiwindi and we grow all out own jojoba.
It is a plant native to the Sonora Desert in Mexico.
It is a true desert plant. Native Americans used it as general skin moisturiser.
We grow it, we spend a lot of time cleaning the seeds that are cold pressed to produce a pure oil.
There are only a couple of links difference in the carbon chain between jojoba and sebum in human skin.
Sebum waterproofs your skin.
Jojoba replaced sperm whale oil in skin care products.
They are the same chemical family but hunting sperm whales is not considered a good thing to do, and rightly so.
I am all for the whales. We dryland farm it, so it is looking very thirsty with the drought.
But like a good desert plant it shuts up shop and does not produce seeds when it is dry.
We use it to make aftershave, body balm, soap, shampoo and conditioner. Skye Bragg
I am from Bourke where we manage a sheep property that is about 100,000 acres, carrying 20,000 merinos.
I make sterling silver jewellery incorporating semi precious stones, freshwater pearls and local timbers.
I use a few opals from Western Queensland as well.
This my first time at the exhibition.
I came for the exposure to the different network of people and to get access to new customers.
It is great to see in the dry times people are really supporting rural products.
Most of the exhibitors are from Western Queensland and Western New South Wales.
The Bush Christmas Exhibition runs to December 6 in the Masonic Centre at 58 Neil St.