old mate`s newspaper

OLD MATE’S
NEWSPAPER
Hi all,
The Burrum River Saddlery School was invited by Cherryl McIntyre to teach saddle making at
this year’s Dimensions in Leather Conference held at St Johns in the grounds of the
University of Queensland.
We had seven students who worked together well even though our area was a little
cramped.
Kristy from WA
Stumpy from Qld
Most states were been represented WA, SA, Vic with the two arch rivals NSW and
Queensland rounding off the numbers.
Rick’s personal input in the
Graham, happy and proud.
back of his saddle.
David Morris and Hank Statham are our two educators and they combined very well as
tutors. The only time they argued was over the chocolate cake at smoko.
A very special thanks to Hank for his help with the tutoring as we would not have been able
to get through without it.
This has been the best Dimensions in Leather ever and big congratulations to all the
organisers, tutors and volunteers, a great event and a rip roaring success.
I would really recommend people who like working with leather to pick out a class and come
along for the next one in two year’s time.
Burrum River Saddle School and Dimensions in leather use Brophy Saddle Trees. Rick from
Victoria is pictured below with John Brophy.
Steve and Elly Bonnett. Reconditioned sewing machine suppliers to the trade are pictured
with the Pearson 6 sewing machine they kindly loaned to Dimensions in Leather.
Dave, Cherryl and I packed up on Saturday and along with our old mate George Jorkston
headed off to Paradise for the big horse sale and Campdraft out at Acton Beef “Paradise
Lagoons” near Rocky in Qld.
We were hoping for a dry one this year as everybody was towed in last year and some
towed out, yeah she was a bit damp ‘a!
I have asked Dave Morris to write a bit of a report on Paradise, horse prices were down, and
a lot were passed in at auction… a true reflection on the state of the economy. Tony Abbott,
the leader of the opposition dropped in for a flying visit and was welcomed by Graham and
Tom Acton from Acton Beef, Paradise Lagoons.
We have some specials from Lefflers to chat about and some second hand gear for people
who may be interested.
I am also introducing Margy Withers, Dave Morris ‘s partner and her enterprise Cinches
Down Under”. Margy is going to give us a few lines to tell us what her business is all about
and how people who are interested can go about ordering from her.
**********
‘From the Bench’ Dave Morris Saddle maker
The “Burrum River Boys from Bathurst” had a very busy July. Begs and Dave Morris did the saddle
making class at Dimensions in Leather and then Paradise Lagoons Campdraft.
The 10th Dimensions in Leather Conference 2013 ran from July 7 to 13 and included some 36
different classes teaching all kinds different leatherworking techniques and forms. It is an
international level conference with a number of overseas tutors.
Check out www.dimensionsinleather.com and their Facebook page to see some of the amazing
works of art made in leather. This year was the first time that Dimensions has run a class in making
a saddle and our team got the job done. The logistics of getting all the necessary tools, equipment
and materials to St Johns College, University of Queensland was always going to be a challenge.
Dave Morris as the main teacher, Hank Statham as back-up and on the sewing machine, and Begs as
gofer, all rose to the occasion.
It all started with Lefflers sponsoring the class, by providing all the materials which arrived in
Bathurst for preparation and sorting. Then Begs drove his ute loaded up with it all to Hervey bay a
week before the event. While at Hervey Bay during a week of more preparation they were visited by
Col Jackson who published an article in the “Blue’s Country Magazine”. Begs got his ‘dial’ on the
front cover of this month’s edition. Also while at Hervey Bay we were visited by Steve Bonnett and
Elly who generously loaned a Pearson sewing machine for the class.
Day before Dimensions, the convoy of Beg’s ute loaded up, Dave driving Beg’s car and towing a
trailer went from Hervey Bay to Brisbane and set up classroom.
A full 6 six days of saddle making saw 7 students from all over Australia turn out a saddle each to
take home. This conference is more than just classes, it is an experience! The socialising,
networking, the trade stands, the banquet night, are all activities that help add towards your overall
development as an artisan, craftsman, and tradesman (of course half the attendants were women!).
Dave and Begs congratulate Cherryl McIntyre for her continued effort in organising these
conferences. She manages to get tutors out here from the USA. And it was in Sheridan, Wyoming,
USA where Dave and Hank first met Cherryl in 2008 when she received the Al Stolman award for her
contribution to education in the leatherwork industry. The only time that the award has gone
outside of North America. AND WELL DESERVED!!!
The lifting, carrying and fetching was not over for the month. Next Begs loaded up his truck and
headed to the campdraft at Rockhampton. Billed as the ‘biggest livestock event in the southern
hemisphere’ it is held each year at Graham and Tom Acton’s property Paradise Lagoons. This year’s
events had $400,000 in prize money. Competitors and spectators come from all over Australia,
including leader of the opposition Tony Abbot who put in an appearance. It was a good week for
Begs and Dave who were there mainly to promote the classes run at the Burrum River School. Many
other saddlers from all over Australia happened by there and what a great time to catch up with all
the gossip. Saddlers that had stands there included Ian Huxley, Dallas Dixon and Shane Kilmore.
Some of those who called by for a chat were Trevor Scott, Peel Gainey, ………….
And another hero from the Bathurst area this month, Nigel Kabel, (Rydal) took out two main
campdraft events for the second year in a row. Nigel and his horse Chivon Ivory won the Acton Beef
Australian Open and also the Fraser Livestock Transport Stallion Draft.
***********
Layla selected her own side of leather from the Burrum River Saddlery supply Shop and Dave Morris,
the tutor of Burrum River Saddle School made her this custom saddle specially to fit Layla.
Layla recently sent me an email asking me to thank Dave for her new saddle and to tell him that
when she is not riding in it she keeps it in her bedroom.
Burrum River Saddlery currently has 4 new fender saddles for sale in the $2800. Tax
inclusive price bracket.
13” 13 ½” 14” 14 ½”
fenders over the tree.
The 13 ½” and 14 ½” have fenders on bars. The 13” and 14” have the
For more details and a photograph please phone Bev at Burrum River Saddlery 07 4129 0012
weekdays 9.00 – 12.00
or
burrumriversaddlery@activ8.net.au
****************
Cinches Down Under.
I was having a chat with Margaret Withers from ‘Cinches Down Under’ based in
Bathurst in country NSW the other day.
Margie produces a range of high quality mohair cinches and girths. She said our
Cord ranges from 100% Mohair to a 96% Mohair 4% merino wool blend. The cord
depends on what is available and in what colours we can obtain.
Margie said I aim for the highest level of Mohair possible in the cord and NEVER
use synthetic blends. Any Safes added to the cinches and girths are made from high
quality leather. Again no synthetics are used.
All girths and cinches are hand made to the required length and design. This means
that customers can have their cinches as plain or fancy as they like. It is another
area like saddle cloths that allow riders to express their individuality. Also if someone
has a particular colour or set of team colours that they want to carry through then I
will do my best to come up with the cord to match. I made a green and gold girth for
Talia to use at World Open Endurance Championships held in the UK as part of the
Australian team. The rest of their uniforms were green and gold so Talia wanted a
girth to match.
I was interested in how Margie got into the cinch business so I asked her.
Several years ago I had problems with my riding horse “galling” all the time. It had
been an ongoing problem since he was a young horse. Over the years I had tried
almost everything I could think of to stop this problem. From girth covers, leather
girths etc., nothing worked.
Then Dave Morris, who is a saddle maker, suggested I try mohair. As we couldn’t
find one easily, he suggested that I make one. Dave obtained some Mohair cord for
me and taught me how to do a basic Mohair cinch. It worked like a charm. The cinch
was easy to keep clean, hard wearing and best of all the “galling” stopped!
Several friends saw my new cinch and wanted to know where to get them. So I
obtained more cord and made girths for them. Dave then asked me to make some
for his speciality saddles that he makes. Demand kept increasing. Then while on a
trip to the USA Dave met Cinch Maker Darin Alexander from Artcords. Darin was just
producing an instructional DVD which Dave brought back to Australia for me.
Contact with experienced cinch makers, the information on the DVD and access to a
constant supply of high quality mohair cord allowed me to expand my range and
style of cinches. In 2011 Cinches Down Under was formed. Since then I have been
meeting an ever growing demand across a wide range of equine disciplines for
quality girths and cinches that are comfortable for the horses but hard wearing and
easy to maintain.
Why mohair was the next question I asked Margie.
Mohair is a fantastic natural fibre. It has been used since the early 1800’s for cinch
making in the USA and is still their preferred choice. Mohair is easy to care for, yet it
has a natural “give” which allows the horse to move more freely. The mohair fibre
also naturally wicks moisture away from the horse so helps to keep the horse cool in
the girth area and reduce the chances of rubbing and galling.
There are a lot of cheap girths on the market that claim to be mohair but are in fact
synthetic with little or no mohair in them. Currently in the USA there is a push by the
mohair industry and cinch makers to have manufacturers forced to declare the
percentage of Mohair in their product. This is to help consumers make an informed
choice and be able to compare prices on like products.
And what has been the biggest buzz or kick you have got from your enterprise so far.
My proudest achievement would be when I hear of a customer’s success when
using one of my girths or cinches. Especially if they have been having girth issues
before hand. I have had several endurance riders who have started using my girths
with great success. One lady got her girth just before the Quilty and having been
vetting out with girth galls at shorter rides was thrilled to complete the Quilty without
any problems.
Where do you see Cinches down under heading from here
Cinches Down Under will continue to make high quality cinches and girths. Also to
educate the horse riding public about the importance of girths and cinches. There is
so much riding on a girth/ cinch that quality is very important. However as girths/
cinches are usually out of site they tend to be overlooked and treated with a “she’ll
be right” attitude.
Other than our web site www.saddleryaustralia.com.au how can people contact you
Margie.
I am on line with my own web site www.cinchesdownunder.com.au if people have
special requirements or would like to discuss a custom designed cinch, they can call
me on 0414 224 430 If I am away from the phone, leave a message and I will call
you back.
You all take care
Margie Withers.
Australian Press Knives.
If you are in the market for clicking knives
Don’t forget John
John runs a one man show like most of us and can use our
support.
John’s Phone No is mob 0404 612 323
Land line 02 4684 1148
LEFFLER NEWSLETTER
“FROM MIKE’S DESK”
AUGUST 2013
“Dimensions in Leather”: If you attended, well done! What a fantastic event! Over the course of a
week, 130 delegates dyed, sewed, plaited, stamped, carved and cut their way through their selection
of 27 leather classes. The results were amazing! Congratulations to all and a huge round of applause
to all the instructors who managed to make the dissemination of their knowledge and skills not only
educational but a hell of a lot of fun!
We at Lefflers were particularly impressed with the participants in the saddle making class. As a Gold
Sponsor of Dimensions, we supplied all the leather, tools and hardware for the saddlery workshop
and topped it off with a Dimensions 2013 leather apron for each delegate to take home. They
certainly deserved it! For relative beginners to make a saddle in a week is always going to be a big
ask but what they produced was nothing short of amazing.
(Pictured below right are Rick Rowbottom and the fender saddle he made at Dimensions in Leather 2013).
Very big thankyous to Cherryl McIntyre and her colleagues, who bought the event together,
arranged accommodation and entertainment, manned the bar and did the thousand other jobs that
have to be done to make an event like this work. Special thanks also to David Morris, Hank Statham
and Gary Begley for the massive amount of work they put in to making the saddlery workshop such a
success; it literally couldn’t have happened without them. If you didn’t make it to the event this
time, make sure you register your interest with Cherryl for the next one. Catch you all next time,
Mike.
(More pics can be found on our facebook page)
For Sale

Adler 205 sewing machine $4500
Maureen Irvin

Curra Qld 4370
mb153@skymesh.net.au
1 Pearson no 6 on stand with treadle $3500
John Davis & Sons

0417 799 422
Meldorn Lane Tamworth NSW
ph.: 0428 618 239
Splitter.
If you have a friend who likes working with leather and you think they would like to receive
our mailout specials ask them to send their email address to Bev & Lorraine 07 4129 0012
burrumriversaddlery@activ8.net.au and we will add them to our listing.
This month’s Burrum River Saddlery specials:
 Oilskin coats Full Length
$111.00
¾ length
$103.00
 Oilskin Riding Vests
$60.00
Gary Begley (Begs) ph.
Warehouse
0428 317 390
9.00 – 12.00 weekdays
07 4129 0012
www.saddleryaustralia.com.au
Steve's Leather Sewing …......Machines
....
Here is a story about one of our Pearson no 6 machines coming in our next shipment,
I'm eagerly awaiting their arrival in a few weeks time as we are now down to 3 Pearsons. I
would also like to thank you for inserting our previous letter as many more people now
know that we specialise in the heavy saddlery and harness machines and keep just about
any part for Pearsons you can imagine. Even keeping in stock Pearson no 6 bobbin
winders, flat bed tables, shuttles, rein rounder attachments and roller guides.
So this is the story.... when the Germans (don't mention the war...) invaded France they
required skilled workers to help in their war effort, one day they came to the father of an
old man I have purchased a French no 6 from and told him that he must come with them
in the morning with his machine and manufacture machine gun slings and amunition
pouches. That night the man wrapped the machine in oil skins and buried it in the back
garden. As promised, the Germans arrived the next morning with their truck and were
told the machine had been stolen over night.... they shot the brave and unlucky man!
Pearson Spares..... 10% off if you quote the Old Mate's Newsletter
used but good shuttles.... 350
roller guides.........150
bobbin winders............... 650
rein rounder attach & plate....390
original flatbed table........450
new flatbed table..........150
also needles, springs, feet, bobbins, needle plates, needle steadies, shuttle
cover plates, manuals (free), tension plates, tension units.. call for a price and then ask for
your discount.
Saddlery and Harness Machines in stock..
Singer 97-10 cylinder machine, needle feed, sews 1” harness leather, very very heavy
Adler 5-27 (similar to 45K) cylinder, walking foot and reverse sews 8mm, saddlery
Pearsons.... heads, heads & modern tables, heads & treadles, needle feed, sews ¾”
Seiko CH-8B best new machine today, sew 3/4”, compound feed with reverse
Koch cylinder arm, very old on manual treadle, sews to 5/8”
Also selection of patchers, darners, heavy flatbeds like the Singer 132K6, 7-33, and many
very heavy Adlers.
Ring Steve & Elly 0419 393 750
126 Booloongi Rd
Gooburrum, Bundaberg Qld 4670
Steve’s leather and canvas sewing machines
Machines in stock.
Pearson no 6 machine needle feed 20mm
$3600
Pearson no 6 head only
$3300
Singer 97 – 10 harness machine
$4300
Seiko ch -8B … compound feed with revers
$4500
Singer 132k6 flatbed walking foot 8mm
$1850
Singer 133k8 cylinder arm walking foot 10mm
$2900
Singer 133k17 long cylinder arm walking foot 10mm $2950
Singer 7-33 flatbed walking foot
19mm
$2500
Adler 5-27 cylinder arm walking foot reverse 10mm $2650
Champion narrow mouth leather machine
$4500
Various Patchers in stock.
$1250
Knock flatbed leather machine to 12ml
$2850
Many more machines in stock
Call Steve and Elly
0419 393 750