When Darren Hutchesson found his passion for Lego 45 years ago, he wanted enough bricks to build everything in his imagination.
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Now a member of the Bendigo Lego User Group, the Lego designer builder has access to thousands and thousands of bricks.
“I certainly have wished I had enough bricks to build all the things that were interesting and important to me,” he said.
I certainly have wished I had enough bricks to build all the things that were interesting and important to me.
- Darren Hutchesson
“It’s very pleasing to be involved in group like this one where we have a large amount of bricks. It's a chance to bring those different things I see around me into the real world.”
Bendigo LUG will host its annual exhibition Bendigo Bricks this weekend.
One of the feature displays will be Darren’s scale model of Bendigo’s Joss House Temple.
“Joss House is a very important part of Benidgo's history and an important part of the Chinese heritage that belongs to Bendigo,” he said.
“I also have a personal connection to Joss House. At one point in my career I was responsible for maintenance of the building for a short while and got to know it very well.”
Darren started working on it in November and had to special order certain bricks to match the temple’s intricate roof tiles.
“It was a flowing process. Joss House supplied me with floor plans so I could to get the spacial orientation correct,” he said.
“From there I would build some, pull it down and rearrange it and then continue building.”
Last year, Darren created a model of the Bendigo Town Hall and he has eyes on other iconic Bendigo buildings.
“I would certainly like to try the tram depot. I worked there for a while and it a special place to me, I know the building. That might be next,” he said.
“Further into the future I would like to try either the Shamrock or the Visitor Information Centre. But I need more practice first.”
In the short-term future, Lego enthusiasts can see the Bendigo Bricks exhibition at the Girton Grammar gym in Vine Street on Saturday and Sunday from 10am.
The exhibition will feature more than 70 tables of exhibits including a model of View Street’s Old Fire Station, a work streetscape and artistic creations.