Steve Brewer
Army, Craftsman
Growing up in the north of England, Steve joined the British army the minute he left school. He completed his cadetship at Sandhurst and served as a Lieutenant in the Staffordshire Regiment. On completion of his short service commission, Steve looked for new opportunities.
By then, Steve was dating Olga, a young Australian girl. With the relationship going well, he successfully applied for a Direct Entry enlistment to the Australian army with the goal of a long-term career.
“It was the best decision I ever made.”
The only negative to moving countries was that Steve could no longer see his Mum, Dad, brother and sister on a regular basis. He recalls fondly the country walks and fishing trips with his dad.
“Men don’t always talk a lot and we didn’t need to. Just being present with Dad was enough. I miss that.”
Steve and Olga married and raised three children - Ben, Sara and Penny - allowing them to move into army housing.
“I’d started carpentry donkey’s years ago. We were broke in those early days, so I’d make tables and small pieces for the children. I was just a bloke in a shed. Later, I got more ambitious and made a large display cabinet and even a four-poster bed.”
The family lived in most states of Australia during his twenty-one years of Australian military service. He served in many different units, including 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (Parachute) (3RAR) and retired at the rank of Major. The family accepted the pros and cons of this way of life, expecting a unit transfer every two years.
“We were a bit like gypsies,” Steve says.
Family was always Steve and Olga’s priority, and they had always stayed together, wherever the posting took them. Towards the end of Steve’s service and, when the children were in high school, he was posted to Victoria. By the year 2000, they knew it was time to put down roots.
Steve had maintained a close friendship with one of his army mates, Dom, who was working with the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum (ANVAM) in Melbourne. Dom asked Steve if he would help ANVAM by making a large studio work table.
ANVAM had received some expensive timber, generously donated by Reid Brothers, and Steve’s careful craftsmanship was needed on this task. Working side by side with Dom, surrounded by sawdust and wood shavings, the work table was brought to life.
Steve laughs as he remembers, “It took six of us to get the tabletop into the back of the van!”
Steve’s perception of creativity has changed since those early days, where he was “just nailing a few bits of wood together”.
“ANVAM opened my eyes to the notion that designing and making a bespoke table is a creative process. I find it strange to call this ‘art’. To me, it’s not the conventional meaning of the word.
“I guess that you can give art a broader meaning and, for me, it’s therapeutic. I love working in the shed and making things. It’s much more fun than passing papers from in-tray to out-tray on any day. If it’s art, that’s fine by me!”
