Gaven Davis
Gaven spent many years in the Housing Industry and became a Registered Builder. He established his own building company which continued for 20 years until he retired.
In 2003 he built a house in Rye and permanently moved there from Wheelers Hill in 2011
In 2014 Gaven joined the club to learn wood turning, a skill which he first encountered in his school years in Nhill.
Gaven enjoys challenging himself with new methods and different types of wood. Since joining the club he has become a team leader and shares his extensive knowledge with others.
Gaven enjoys a team environment and as a member of the Toymakers he works with the group to construct toys for children at Christmas.
Gaven joined the committee to support the club. It was Gaven’s initiative to commence the safety program to ensure that all the active members use the machinery correctly and safely.
I was born in Yarram and at three years of age moved to Nhill with my family. I attended primary and secondary school and during years ten and eleven I discovered woodwork and woodturning. We are still using a writing desk and a turned segmented lamp that I completed in year eleven. My parents owned a café and I helped in the shop, played football and tennis and liked to swim in the local pool.
On completing school, I joined the Bank, moved to Horsham living in a boarding house before being transferred to Melbourne. In 1967, I decided to leave the Bank and join a Real Estate Agency in Caulfield selling established Houses. Four years later I changed to working for home building companies including RDC and Orlit homes in managerial, sales and marketing, and construction positions. This was also the year I married Margaret and shortly after moved to our first home, a weatherboard in Parkdale that needed some loving attention and resulted in a two-bedroom extension. Having two Children and expecting another, we sold and moved to a new home in Wheelers Hill.
I started my own building company in 1984 in a partnership which fell on hard times in ‘..the recession we had to have…’. So out of necessity I obtained my Builders License and started a company building carports, garages, decks and small renovations. Later my son, Matthew a carpenter, joined me in the business. In this business, I adopted the principle of ‘build only to a standard as if building for myself’. The business was very successful for 20 years and to this day I still have the occasional call from past clients who want work done.
With three children we decided to try camping holidays so invested in a tent and trailer and enjoyed holidays in Victoria till one Christmas we camped in Hahndorf and found ourselves hanging onto the centre pole so as not to end up in the dam. After that experience we purchased a van and spent 26 years holidaying at Echuca where the children all learnt to water ski behind the Haines Hunter that we still have today.
We decided to build a holiday home and looked on the Mornington Peninsula so that I could build on the weekends commuting from Wheelers Hill. The house we built in Rye was completed in 2002. I retired in 2010 and we sold Wheelers Hill and moved to Rye in 2011.
During our first two years in Rye, we established ourselves including small renovations to the house. In 2013, I went to a woodturning display at the Briars in Mornington and after conversing with some members decided to visit WOSP at Rosebud and joined in 2014.
I attended Tuesday sessions with Brian Jones who taught and encouraged me with my woodturning. I enjoy mentoring the members on Tuesday and watching their growth in all aspects of woodturning. I enjoy the challenge of the different methods of woodturning and pieces I have made include segmented bowls, pens and chopping boards, large platters, boxes, fruit and miniature fruit, offset turning, hollowing bowls and racing cars. I decided to also attend the Toy sessions, knowing how much the community is helped, and found this very satisfying. Wednesdays, toy members enjoy each other’s company and the members are all contributing to new toys and helping each other.
I have been married for 50 years and have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. I have been able to give my children and grandchildren keepsake pieces which they hopefully will pass on to their children.