Pat Gregory's first experience working with wood was in a living room with other women in Bristol in 1986. He has been working for this sensation ever since.
"I worked as a private investigator in the UK and tried to add some horror, some excitement to my life," says Pat.
"But it didn't work for me.
"I saw an ad in the Bristol Evening Post for 'woodworking for women'.
Pat, 70, grew up on a farm with two brothers and didn't have many opportunities to do the interesting things they did.
"I thought, 'Oh, that would be great.' I want to do something like that, "says Pat.
"So I went, and he was in the living room on the first floor of the lady's apartment."
Remember the strange smell of wood, the calm of women.
“And I fell in love with it and then I wanted to learn how to be a carpenter.
"I went home to tell my roommates and ... they all laughed."
This is not an easy start
The training was state-funded at the time: a three-year course in an intensive seminar.
"I was in this workshop with six or seven people. I was 30 and they were just over 20," says Pat.
“But I wasn't very good, I found I was struggling with the equipment, the measurement and the marking, and the kids realized that after about three weeks.
"When they went for morning tea, I cried a little because I didn't know what was going on."
However, he climbed the ranks, learning everything from stairs and roofs to door making and installation.
At the beginning
Shortly after graduating, she began teaching others at a government-sponsored seminar to encourage women to enter the workforce.
“It's been my passion ever since. I went back to Australia and just started my own business,” says Pat.
For 26 years, she has taught thousands of women the basics of woodworking and power tools from her home in Mullambi, in the Northern Rivers region of NSW.
“They come because they love trees. This is the bond that unites them all. This is the main thing that everyone agrees on,” says Pat.
“[And] they just want to be able to do something. How to collect things, how to get firewood.
"They are tired of asking their spouse or partner to set the coffee table or to do this or that."
He found that people wanted to get out of their heads and start working with their hands.
Many of the instructions provide subtleties and nuances that Pat lacks.
"When everything is broken down into small steps, you feel like you can do it and you are not tired."
This is a style student rated by TJ Rowan.
"The way he teaches is very empowering. It doesn't require prior knowledge," said TJ
"It teaches you the absolute basics, such as hand and body position when holding the drill."
TJ brings some experience in helping his father restore homes as a child.
"Even though I knew the tools, there was a huge knowledge gap," says TJ
"If he shows you how to use a tool, he never takes it off. You really have a lot of power because the tool is always in your hands.
"He's a real cheerleader. That's his personality."
Managed by TJ
TJ chose Pat's course when he moved from Sydney to the Byron Bay area six years ago.
“I got a job as a painter, so I did other things. And I was really drawn to woodworking,” says TJ.
"And I wanted to learn from a woman, I thought it would be nice."
After attending several seminars, TJ is now setting up his own carpentry school with the help of Pat.
More trading opportunities
Pat said she has seen the industry grow since the 1980s, particularly with the representation of women in the industry.
“In the 1960s and 1970s, women were on the covers of craft magazines. They often held a brush in their hands, but they were also involved in the house,” says Pat.
"Of course, the women were very productive in the military, but when the boys got home, it was hid under the rug."
Now everything is changing.
“It seems like we're on the same level in terms of tender strength. And that's what we do,” says Pat.
"That's why we want women to come and learn woodworking. We want women to see it as a job and build houses, garden sheds, sheds.
It is a desire that exists, as TJ has learned over and over again.
“There are a lot of women out there who want it, but for whatever reason. Maybe it's fear or they feel that gender roles don't exist for them. But is not so".
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