OLD-FASHIONED fun By Joe Novella Photos Gary Sissons
W
atching Steve Morrison and his wife Bonita stare out over their beautiful Mt Eliza property, you get a strong sense of the pride they feel for their special patch of the Peninsula. Their hard work has transformed their patch from bushland covered in brush and blackberry thickets, to a place of beautifully manicured gardens, fenced paddocks and wide-open spaces gently sloping down all the way to Balcombe Creek. The Wooralla Drive property was an idyllic setting to raise the kids and is now a great place to entertain their seven grandkids, with plenty of space for the little ones to run wild. It's also the location for Steve's workshop–the birthplace of Grandpa's Toyworks - a project I'm keen to learn more about. Steve had just got off the mower before our meeting and after a quick tour of his workshop he escorted me around the homestead, past two dogs that threatened to lick me to death, to a balcony with views of the acreage that makes up his backyard. "It's a stunning place," I said as I took a seat and took in the views. He nodded and replied, "Yes, it is, and a lot of hard work." A fact echoed by his wife Bonita, who joined us with refreshments, but I got the feeling both of them don't mind rolling up their sleeves. In the background, I heard the sound of horses. "Horses have for years been a part of our lives," Steve said as he pointed out towards agistment paddocks. "My kids learned to ride here and as part of local pony clubs. We have always been part of the Peninsula's
equestrian community and I had a keen interest in breeding Andalusians, a Spanish breed. We no longer breed horses, but we continue to have them on the property as part of agistment services we provide." Horses are not the only passion Steve has; he is also an avid woodworker. Steve's passion for working with sustainably sourced timber has given birth to his latest venture - Grandpa's Toyworks - and the reason for my visit. The workshop's motto reads, 'No batteries, no screens, just good old-fashioned fun' and it sure lives up to its motto producing handmade wooden toys based on designs that were popular decades ago when high-tech meant having brakes on your billy cart. "We offer a growing range of toys," Steve said, "Billy carts, stilts, toddler trolleys, little wooden cars and trucks, wind wands, wind sabres, hopping kangaroos, Jacob's ladders, ball and cup games and many more. All of our raw materials for making these toys have been salvaged from worksites around the Peninsula or from local timber suppliers and are always FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved. Everything I offer for sale has been made here in my workshop using small power tools and by hand. I only make small batches and I'm constantly evolving my products and techniques." For a long time, Steve's passion for woodworking played second fiddle to his professional career in printing and design. continued page 12...
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10 | PENINSULA
February 2022