Whitsunday wood turner Wyn Radke opens the doors of his shed

A North Queensland ex-miner who moved to a tropical haven for the quality of the timber has opened the doors of his shed, to share his passion for woodturning.

When you talk to Wyn Radke about his career in the mining industry, he won’t tell you this was his life’s passion, what fulfilled him.

Instead, there is a flaming devotion and a love for a craft that has followed him throughout all his adult life, woodturning.

The long time Whitsunday resident, who is now in his 80s, has spent his working life at the Peak Downs mine as a mine operator, but on the long weekends he had off, him and his mates used to “pick up the odd piece of timber” and started experimenting at a Moranbah sawmill.

Whitsunday long-time resident Wyn Radke has opened the doors of his shed to share his passion for wood-turning. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

“After a while, once I got into that, although it wasn’t flash, it started taking shape and meant something to us, making vases and pot holders and all the rest of it.”

“I found it a real challenge to take a lump of knotty old wood that looks like nothing, and make something out of it that’s practical and that you can enjoy to look at.

“And I think the fact that you could do something that wasn’t related [to your job], would give you an interest and take you beyond being worn out or tired.”

Whitsunday long-time resident Wyn Radke has opened the doors of his shed to share his passion for wood-turning. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

Finding quality wood near his house was an important element to consider when him and wife Robyn decided to move to the Whitsundays to retire.

The region was a place where they could find red cedar that was good for furniture making, and it made their decision easier.

Over the years, Mr Radke has continued making various wood pieces, and it would always be the best option to find ideas for birthday gifts.

But it also became a full time hobby once he retired, gave him a purpose to fill his days, instead of “watching TV”.

Whitsunday long-time resident Wyn Radke has opened the doors of his shed to share his passion for woodturning. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

The Radke’s house is filled up with creations made out of wood, and any other material visible is rather scarce in their Strathdickie home, but a good amount of Mr Radke’s work is elsewhere and has been gifted to many people over the years.

Special tables, special candle holders, benches and beds and all sorts of pieces of furniture in different makes of wood are what the people who have met him will remember.

“And that’s just why I keep doing it, because even now, no matter how good you are, there’s always somebody out there making stuff out of timber that, to me, is a real challenge,” he said adding that the mateship with other wood-turners in the region had been another reason why his passion had never dwindled.

Whitsunday woodturners, whose numbers would have varied from three to 10 over the years, have always made a point of meeting once a month and experiment together.

They would also spend weeks, sometimes months perfecting their creations exposed at the Proserpine Showgrounds.

Whitsunday long-time resident Wyn Radke has opened the doors of his shed to share his passion for woodturning. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

“Because you come across imperfections, fractures that just doesn’t happen overnight,” Mr Radke said.

“What the woodturner tries to do is take the roughest [piece of wood] to make something of it, and generally you’ve got more highlights in rough bits of timber like that than in any ordinary, plain, everyday timber.

“You do as much as you can, then you walk away from it, think about it and then come back and try something a little bit different.

“And if the wood-turner is not in any rush to get anything done, that will take as long as it can take.”

As to what he thinks the future holds for his craft, Mr Radke says he hopes he has been able to share his passion with others over the years, but he is happy to know that two of his grandchildren keep asking him for help when they want to make their own wooden table.