By Ethan Benedicto
A man to be cherished and remembered, the Berwick District Woodworkers Club recently lost one of its oldest members with the passing of Eric Guthrie on 25 July.
Eric’s passing left a void in the hearts of the club, especially the older members who had spent the majority of their woodworking experience in the club with him.
The club, which was founded in 1986 had been fresh in the works when Eric joined between late 1987 and 1988; since then he has been part of many major contributions to its evolution, from the curation of the current facilities to advocating for more diversity in membership.
To Bill Bradshaw, he was someone that you “could never argue with”.
“He was one of a kind, he was unassuming but he had a wealth of knowledge.
“That’s how I saw him, you could depend on him; if you wanted a friend, it would be Eric”.
Born on 28 January 1939, Eric was a bricklayer by trade and was known to be quite good with his hands; after his tenure as a brickie he then worked for the SCC.
Pat Mahoney, a member who lived across from Eric in Fiddlers Green Retirement Village said that he would often come over to his garage and simply spend time with him.
“He’d toddle across the road to my garage where I’d be working, and he’d come down and sit and just talk for an hour with me,” Pat said.
Eric was known for his craftsmanship, specifically his meticulous work on wooden carriages and trains, which then became his signature creations.
He would also, more often than not, donate his works to various charities, especially when the BDWC was known for their Christmas toy donations; ultimately Eric was dedicated to making hundreds of his signature pieces, a testament to his skill and passion for woodworking.
Alexander Drysdale described Eric as someone who was “very quiet”, a particular man who “whenever he had something to say always had a dead-pan face”.
Nevertheless, to Alexander and the others, those qualities were a big part of what made Eric special, and also “one of nature’s gentlemen”.
Eric has an atmosphere of comfort around him, and though not necessarily doing anything in particular at times, had a way of making people feel at ease, and this was one of the reasons why he was an integral part of the club’s community.
In his later years at Fiddlers Green and when his health began to decline, he continued to be active in the club’s activities and was a constant visitor on Mondays, something that other members recognised as his dedication to not just woodworking, but the people and the connections he made.
To honour Eric’s memory, the club plans to commemorate his life and contributions, where he was recently made a life member as an acknowledgement of his impact.
Eric Guthrie’s funeral was held on Thursday 1 July, and was attended by his family and friends.
