Australian Blade Ed 3 Dec 2017

I left Cairns and spent a number of years out bush working on cattle stations, maybe five years or six
years, something like that I think it was. I learned a lot out there though. Driving trucks and operating
machinery. I did a lot of council work you know. I worked for Cairns Earthmoving Contractors as well.
I did a lot of work with them pipe laying. In the end I just had enough. All I wanted was a trade you
know? Something else because blokes would call me Jack of all trades, master of none.
And that was pissing me off. So I thought about what I wanted to do.
I met Doug through Charlie Marino’s CRM
Gun Sports. I went in there one day and saw
a set of knives on display that were made by
Doug. I got Doug’s number and rang him
that day. I met him the following weekend
and I showed him some of my leatherwork,
as well as him showing me his knives. We
struck up a deal that day. I’d show him some
leatherwork and he’d teach me how to make
a knife using the stock removal method.
Doug was a fitter and turner. Yeah, that's
what I want to do, because I know the
precision and accuracy in his work.
When I looked at Doug’s knife pouches I
was impressed, and I remember saying to
myself “he doesn’t need any help with
these”. They were as good as his knives. I
thought a deal is a deal so I showed him a
lot of the books I had on leatherwork and
left them for him to read. I went through
them and just pointed out some other ideas,
but other than that he was already doing an
awesome job.