Cairns & DistrictWoodworkers Guild

Ray Rivers called the first meeting at his Toohey Street home in the early 1980s — twelve or so men, a shared interest in woodturning. Four decades on, the Guild occupies a Council-provided building on Knight Street, Portsmith, with three machine rooms running lathes, band saws, planers, and jointers. Weekly sessions also serve clients from ARC Disabilities and Cootharinga North Queensland, who come to design and build their own pieces.