Bruce Turnbull

Bruce has always had an interest in woodworking. His great grandfather, grandfather, father, and brother all worked with wood. Bruce worked alongside his brother, father, and grandfather as a young boy on many projects, ranging from house building, hand-crafted Rimu furniture, to boatbuilding.

A medical photographer by profession, Bruce trained at Christchurch Hospital then spent 45 years working in Australia at The University of Newcastle Medical Faculty. During this time, he continued his interest in woodworking using a wide variety of Australian timbers.

He and his wife Anne returned to live in New Zealand in 2021 and have set up a workshop in their Sumner home.

Amongst other woodworking projects, Bruce now makes boxes in support of the Governors Bay Jetty Restoration Trust.

These handcrafted boxes (a small number of which will be available in the silent auction) are approximately 7cm high x 7cm wide x 16cm long.

They are created using the weather-beaten recycled handrails from the old jetty. The timber is an Australian eucalypt, Eucalyptus sideroxylon, also known as Red Ironbark.

The boxes have been constructed using traditional dovetail joints and the inlayed pattern on the lid represents Matariki, the star cluster which celebrates the Maori New Year and also includes respect for what has gone before and what will be renewed for the future. This is a particularly fitting symbol for the rebuild of Governors Bay Jetty.

Many thanks for supporting this important community project.