Malcolm hauls in first-class honours for miniature timber truck intended as a gift

Malcolm Stewart’s woodwork masterpiece that roared past its competition at the Royal Easter Show this year was “a bit of an afterthought”.

The Corrimal man’s miniature Kenworth B-Double timber truck earned first place in the toys and miniature models category, beating about 50 entries from all over Australia.

Its uniqueness, attention to detail and finish wowed the judges enough to award Malcolm the blue ribbon.

“I intended to stick to my usual category of ‘segmented woodturning’ with a bowl I’d made, but a mate suggested I enter the truck as well,” says Malcolm, a retired miner.

“The bowl ended up winning second place in its category so it’s been a good year,” he adds.

In a decade of competing in Australia’s show of shows, Malcolm has notched up three first places and eight seconds.

His first crack in 2014 was when he persuaded his then 10-year-old grandchild, Cruz, to join him with a display of his own.

“I suggested he draw a 3D log cabin and it was so good I convinced him to build the structure with Paddle Pop sticks,” Malcolm says.

“Cruz didn’t win anything, but he enjoyed the experience and it got him away from video games by giving him a purpose.”

The experience also fired up what Malcolm calls a genetic trait.

“My grandfather, who I never met, was a popular toymaker in Corrimal, who often made wooden toys for children at Christmas, so I guess I must have inherited the woodworking gene,” he says.

“For me, it’s all about the challenge and the pleasure of working with wood.”

This latest win was originally meant to be a gift for his truck driver son Bradley and his wife, Kayla, who runs a roadhouse in Scottsdale, Tasmania.

“My son recently switched from hauling fuel to timber logs so that gave me the idea but I thought it would be a novel display for my daughter-in-law to display in her roadhouse,” says Malcolm.

“I started the project at Thirroul Men’s Shed and worked between there and home for a solid three months to finish it.”

It is 1.3 metres in length, 200 mm wide and 300 mm high.

Malcolm uses only Australian timber. The truck comprises huon pine for the cabin and red cedar and Queensland maple for the rest.

“The majority of the work was with machines, and it was incredibly challenging particularly making all the wheels uniform, but the cabin was the hardest part to make with its detail and curved mudguard,” says Malcolm.

For a whimsical touch he placed a snowman that he had previously made in the driver’s seat.

The big question now is: What is Malcolm cooking up for next year?

“I’ve started it already, but I can’t say too much because the competition is too fierce and word gets around,” he confides.