General News
18 December, 2024
Hostel decorations
Jack Towney resident Kevin Jackson creates Christmas display!
Out front of the Jack Towney Hostel, a handmade display of Christmas decorations have found a home; Santa rides along behind his four white boomers, strung together with Christmas lights.
The display is the work of resident Kevin Jackson, a handcraft enthusiast and carpenter. Kevin works out front of his unit at Jack Towney Hostel or heads down to the Gilgandra Men’s Shed with his timber and tools.
Kevin said that three-months-ago, he and some staff at Jack Towney started discussing some Christmas decorations for the hostel. “They said to me ‘you reckon you can do it?’ so, I got some plans together and started working it out,” he said. “Everything turned out the way we planned it, but at the moments it’s not bright enough [to see at night]. The best time to come and see it is at night around 8.30pm.”
It took Kevin three weeks to put the displays together. From cutting the wood, machining it, and painting the finished pieces.
He would start at 9am in the morning and finish at 4pm in the afternoon.
Santa Claus was the only part of the display not made by Kevin, found instead at the local tip during an ordinary rubbish run. “If it’s not going okay, I go back to the drawing board until I get things right,” Kevin said. “I got nothing else to do, so I got in and done it. I do thoroughly enjoy it, especially working with timber. I get a kick out of it.”
Kevin expressed a keen interest in doing the decorations for next year as well, although he wants to go bigger and better.
“I want to do a bit more next year,” he began, “Jesus in the manger, and I want to make a couple of donkeys.”
Kevin works out of pocket, selling chairs and tables to support his work.
“I just mainly do it for this mob here. I don’t worry about advertising myself, just helping this mob out.”
