Trug dealer to the stars and well-known harbour denizen Bill Blair is to start posting regular updates on harbour happenings and visitors here on the Coracle Oracle, The Friendly Bay Chronicle blog.
That's him on the right in the picture, by the way, at Totara Estate's Harvest Home on April 1.
Bill Blair is a woodworker extraordinaire whose Coppice Crafts workshop was set up in the Red Sheds on the south side of Oamaru harbour in 1998.
He is one of several artisans working in the harbour. Sculptor Michelle Beaufoy also works there, and the premises were envisaged a decade ago as the ideal site for an artisan's village.
"We wanted to have the Red Sheds as a traditional artisan's village, as it were," Bill explains.
"Ken Mitchell organised the leasing of the sheds from the (Waitaki District) Council and Lindsay Murray and stone sculptor Alan Ward were here. Although his tenure was very brief, Lindsay was a boat builder.
"When I decided to become a traditional woodworker it seemed to make sense to start doing it in the Red Sheds."
Lindsay has since moved his boatbuilding into a workshop in Kakanui and Michelle occupies the workshop Alan was in. But visitors to the Red Sheds remain plentiful, comprising two parts from outside the area to every one part local.
The most recent issue to take Bill's attention is the build-up of silt and sand on the harbour floor.
"One thing I fear is that there will be less momentum for re-creating the harbour as a deep water harbour the way it used to be. It is slowly filling up with sand because there is no dredging. The corner of the harbour where I mean has long been considered a beach by locals but of course it is supposed to be deep water. Actually I would quite like that not to be a beach. I would quite like there to be sailing ships tied up there."
Bill's first contribution will be posted at the end of this month.
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