David Thurston

David Thurston's introduction to working in wood began in Wellington during a school holiday job with a cabinet-making firm specialising in period furniture. He loved the properties of the timbers and their challenges, and the aroma of mahogany which was the usual wood used.

In 1965 he began a four-year apprenticeship with the company, leaving six years later to branch out on his own in Akaroa. Akaroa and the Peninsula were special places for him as Christmas holidays were regularly spent with relatives at Blythcliffe where he was entranced with a magnificent scotch chest, the initial inspiration for his business of crafting colonial furniture. Demand for his work grew rapidly as it fitted with the colonial architecture of many peninsula homes. His range of furniture widened: beds, tables, chairs - the style taken from original pieces and developed with his imprint which emphasised design, good lines, proportion and acute attention to finish.

In recent years David has concentrated his many skills on making apples and apple paperweights, complete with their own boxes and label, made to his hallmark high standard. Eggs are his latest venture and he is enjoying experimenting with shape, colour range and finish.