Endeavour Hills’ Beth Johnstone has won numerous awards for dollmaking and sculpting. She modelled her latest creation on herself.By Rebecca Fraser
THE Johnstones of Endeavour Hills are a crafty family.
Beaconhills College student Beth, 10, is a porcelain doll enthusiast and recently won numerous awards for sculpting and doll making throughout Australia.
Beth has beaten many adult competitors at numerous dollmaking and craft competitions.
She said she had a real passion for craft and loved reading books and learning about history.
Since the age of seven she has produced more than 12 porcelain dolls and won more than nine awards. It is also easy to see that dollmaking and sculpting run in the family.
Her parents Liz and Graham run Johnstoneware and Dolls from home and Mrs Johnstone said theirs was a marriage made in heaven.
“He is a potter and was a stoneware producer for Royal Doulton and he had his kiln and I had my kiln.
“We live in one passionate and crafty household,” she said.
Mrs Johnstone said Beth had recently modeled a porcelain doll on herself and the resemblance had been astounding.
“It is unusual for someone her age to take up this pursuit as it is something usually taken up by adults.
“Her dolls are literally amazing and her work is judged against adults in some competitions and in the Melbourne Doll Show she was judged against adults and gained the big trophy,” she said.
The Johnstone family travel all over Australia to attend doll and craft shows and are also big doll and porcelain collectors.
“They say if you cant count (the dolls) you have not got enough.
“We possible could count them all but I still don’t think I have enough,” Mrs Johnstone said.
The mother of three said it was doubtful Beth would ever part with any of her dolls as so much time and effort went into their creation.
Mrs Johnstone’s two other daughters Tiffany and Jessica have also shown an interest in dolls.
Tiffany, seven, has recently begun taking an interest in making and sculpting her own dolls but threeyearold Jessica is still content to play with them.
Beth said the best part of dollmaking was the result and the sense of achievement she felt once she had completed work.
But she said craft was just a hobby and she had already set her sights on politics and even being Australia’s first female Prime Minister.
“Heaps of people have encouraged me from the start but I want to keep this as a hobby,” she said.
