A BENDIGO man is playing a major role in the restoration of Australia’s historic Harrington Park homestead.
Harrington Park is located in Camden, NSW, and began its life as a humble stone and clay brick cottage when it was built by Captain William Douglas Campbell in 1817.
Over the years it was transformed into an elegant Georgian-style home with a Victorian veranda.
Sir Warick Fairfax bought the homestead in 1944 as a weekend retreat and it has since remained with his wife, Lady Fairfax.
Retired furniture maker Charlie Bovalino is supplying 2.3 cubic metres of Australian red cedar to be used in the renowned building’s repair and conservation work.
He was contacted late last year by John van der Sanden from John McDonald Building Services in Sydney.
“They’re restoring Harrington homestead, which is a National Trust building,” he said.
“They needed some Australian red cedar and I’m the only one that’s got it in the volumes and sizes that they wanted.”
Mr Bovalino described the timber as “red gold” and said it was extremely hard to source.
“It’s a protected species,” he said. “The only time any of it’s available is if a tree falls or it has to be moved or something and then it’s auctioned off.
“So very little of it ever comes up.”
Mr Bovalino was lucky enough to buy about 23 cubic metres of the precious timber about 25 years ago.
“I bought two and-a-half semi-loads of it from northern Queensland and had it shipped to my property at Rushworth at the time,” he said. “I’ve been using it and selling it ever since.
“It was a fair sort of investment at the time.
“I had to beg, borrow and steal to get the money together, but it was well worthwhile.”
Mr Bovalino said Australian red cedar now sold for anywhere between $7500 and $15,000 per cubic metre.
“It’s what all the antiques were made of in Australia,” he said.
“It grew from New South Whales up to Queensland and there was a fair bit of it around.
“Most public buildings were fitted out with it – the windows, doors and that sort of thing were made of cedar.
“Even in buildings in Bendigo and Echuca used it because they bought some of it down by the river systems.
“It was also used in Melbourne, of course, and throughout Sydney.
“Back then they were using it even as fence posts, but it’s worth its weight in gold now.
“Now it’s probably the most expensive timber we have in the country.”
Mr Bovalino’s supply of timber for the restoration project will arrive in Sydney early next week.
“I’ve sent timber all over the world for various projects,” he said.
“I never do anything by halves.
“If you’re going to buy some cedar you might as well buy two-and-a-half semi-loads than buy a few to six sticks.
“When I started furniture making I wasn’t happy with what was out there so I set up my own sawmills, my own kilns and exclusively used Australian hardwood native timbers.
“So I’ve always been a bit different.”
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