My family and I had just recently moved here from the United States and I wanted to find a place where I could take some woodworking classes and maybe learn a few things. I’ve been doing woodworking as a hobby for years and although I love it I’ve never been that good at it. I found Alistair’s website while searching for a school and noticed he was going to be at the Timber and Woodworking Show so I went to see him and find out more about his school. After talking with him I couldn’t help but be impressed with his training so I decided to take one of his Open Courses and see if he could help me. After a few classes Alistair approached me about taking one of the upcoming Windsor Chair Making classes he was offering. He said he had this bloke named Peter Galbert who was coming here from the US to teach two different classes. My response to him was “I really don’t have any interest in making a Windsor Chair” and he said “trust me, it will change the way you do woodworking forever”. I thought it over and decided to trust his recommendation and sign up for the class. I went into it thinking it would be really nice to meet Peter Galbert because he is very well known in the US as a chair maker and who knows, I might just learn something. I hate to admit it but Alistair was right. It was an amazing experience and it has completely changed the way I look at woodworking! I couldn’t believe how much fun it was and now I have this beautiful chair that will last for generations. It was incredible to take the same tools that chair makers have been using for the last few hundred years and turn square chunks of timber in something so graceful and beautiful. I can’t wait for the next chair making class so I can do it all over again! My plan is to take at least the next two classes at least and then when I leave Australia next year and go back to the US I plan on flying out to Peter Galbert’s shop and take a class with him. I’m hooked!

My thanks to Peter Galbert for coming to Australia to share his knowledge and to Glen Rundell for helping out. I’d like to give Alistair a special thanks for giving me that little nudge I needed to take the class and for having such a great place to learn.

Last and definitely not least, I want to thank Alistair’s lovely wife and daughter for spoiling us with such nice pastries every day at tea time”.

Jeff Smith, 2012