Prizes | Competition

Check out who is going to be there this year!

We are incredibly fortunate to have Silvio Apponyi appearing at this year’s Port Elliot Show. While Silvio is certainly one of the best carver/sculptors in Australia at the moment, there are some in the Australian Art world that consider him to be one of our country’s best kept secrets!

Silvio has had multiple commissions from every Australian government at the state and federal level, including work for Parliament House in Canberra. He pieces of public art adorn hundreds of cities and business foyers all over the world and his work is found in dozens of galleries across our state and beyond.

If that isn’t enough, Silvio was awarded the Order of Australia medal in 2020 for ‘his service to the visual arts as a sculptor’, yet the majority of Australians don’t recognise his name.

Well, if his name is unfamiliar to you, his work certainly won’t be. If you need a local referent, how about the Whale-Tail fountain in Victor Harbor, or the Little Fairy Penguin bronzes on Granite Island at the end of the causeway, or the seal carved onto of one of those granite boulders at the water’s edge, about halfway between the causeway and the horse tram terminus.

Last year Silvio completed a stunning 5 metre Southern Right Whale red gum sculpture of ‘Buttons’ and her calf ‘Bobby’ Buttons is a whale who has returned 3 times to our shores over the years, to give birth and raise calves in the local whale nursery off Basham’s beach. You’ll find the sculpture well worth a visit.

This year Silvio will be carving a variety of objects in the grassed court area next to the Woodwork (Michael Scott) pavilion. Come on out to the Show for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch a master of this calibre at work. Check out some of Silvio’s wonderful work here: apponyi.net/

The Adelaide School of Woodwork makes woodworking accessible and enjoyable for everyone, from complete beginners to experienced makers.

We’ve built a space where people can learn new skills and experience the satisfaction of making something real. Whether you’re starting your first project or refining advanced techniques, our team is here to guide and support you.

We’re also passionate about introducing woodworking to kids. Through fun, hands-on classes, our children’s programs combine creativity with practical skills, using engaging projects and take-home kits to make woodworking an exciting adventure for young makers.

At the Port Elliot Show, we’re bringing this experience to you! Join us for hands-on kids’ workshops and “come and try” Benches where visitors can get practical experience with woodworking tools and techniques.

We also partner with Harrison’s Hardware, our retail arm offering quality woodworking tools and supplies. Whether you need the right timber or tools for your next project, Harrison’s has you covered.

Whatever your skill level, we’re here to help you bring your woodworking ideas to life.

adelaideschoolofwoodwork.com.au

Tony Carbone has been a woodworker for decades, as a builder, a maker of wooden furniture and art and as a dedicated teacher of woodwork to kids in schools. Tony’s done it all.

This year Tony is bringing the culmination of all his experience to the Port Elliot Show in a range of top-quality wooden objects both beautiful and practical. Come and meet him and see the amazing range of special hand-made wooden cutting and presentation boards, carved art works and novelties. There almost certainly will be something there for you… and if not have a chat with Tony about a special commission piece just for you or that special someone.

Have a look at some of Tony’s work on his Facebook page.

Otto Timber has been serving South Australia with timber and custom joinery for more than 100 years, as well as stocking a large range of specialty timbers.

Otto Timber continues to manufacture timber components for contemporary builds as well as traditional joinery such as windows and doors for many heritage projects.

Some of our joinery can be seen in Adelaide Town Hall (Blackwood Doors) and The Guardsman restaurant (Stained American Oak joinery).

Come out and meet the friendly team at the Show for some timber bargains or check out their website by clicking here to find out more: ottotimber.com.au

From humble beginnings Bushys Projects has turned from a fun hobby into a small family business.

Tom has combined his passion for forging creations with his passion for sharing his knowledge and skills, to create a blacksmithing experience where you can make some of our signature items or something of your own design. All of the materials, safety gear and consumables are provided in our half or full day workshops. All you need to bring is a smile and a willingness to get stuck in. We will be showcasing our products at the show which are available for purchase and our workshops are available to purchase with the show day only discount.

Website: https://www.bushysprojects.com/blacksmith-experience
Instagram: instagram.com/bushys_projects

Fleurieu Woodturners was started in 2013 by Dennis Murray and Steve Franz to encourage woodturners on the Fleurieu Peninsula to improve their skills and knowledge. Since those days, the Club has broadened its skills base to include other woodcrafts such as carving, scroll sawing, pyrography and small joinery.

The Club is a warm and welcoming place. Membership includes all ages and upwards of 30% of the members are women. The Club is also focused on regular training of its members and includes markets and other events like the Port Elliot Show to give up-and-coming wood artists the chance to sell their creations in a safe and supportive environment.

The members will be demonstrating a variety of woodworking skills and there will be a wood art gallery on site in the Woodworking pavilion (Michael Scott building). If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at woodworking, come to the Show and have a chat with the team or watch them create wood art live on site. Or visit the gallery and buy that really unique special something for that one-of-a-kind special someone.

For more on the Club visit their website fleurieuwoodturners.org.au

The Encounter Community Centre is locally based in the Fleurieu Peninsula in beautiful Victor Harbor.

At the Encounter Community Centre our aim is to:

• Provide a range of meaningful activities designed to meet the individual needs of people living with a disability and to other people in the southern Fleurieu area.
• Provide an exciting, positive community centre where people of all abilities and backgrounds can meet, learn new skills and find friendship and support from within their peer group.

Our Centre is proudly home to Fleurieu Potters, retail Garden Centre, NDIS Programs, Wooden Toy Factory which produce made-to-order and high quality educational, and nature play furniture as well as wooden toys and activities for early childhood education. We understand that children require mental stimulation as well as having fun!  Our new range of educational wooden toys stimulate our children and provide them with skills to work through various tasks and achieve actual results.  Our sensory products teach children functional tasks as well as developing their four senses.  All Encounter Woodcraft products are Hand Made by our skilled volunteers in quality Australian sustainably sourced timber and finished with natural water-based paints and sealers.

Click here for a look at our range.

The Centre also offers a range of Community programs including people living with a disability, providing support to increase social interaction and build skills to create more independence.

Volunteers Required:

If you have an interest in our Garden Centre nursery, woodworking, painting or even marketing and sales we would love you to consider joining our team of volunteers.

Email admin@encountercentre.com.au or call 08 8552 2995 to find out more. Come visit us at the 2025 Port Elliot Show.

Pilot Plastics Co. was founded as a family-owned manufacturer in 1946 in the industrial district of lower Manhattan in New York City. The company designed, produced and marketed a line of unique, internally hand carved, costume jewellery, accessories, adornments and gift items, created from crystal clear sheets and blocks of solid acrylic plastics. This was a newly developed material at that time flooding the market as war surplus, after its use in the aircraft industry as gun turret domes on U.S. Air Force bombers during World War II.

The company’s product lines were based on the superb talents of two master carvers who produced all of the myriad of jewellery pieces, as well as the larger scenes and objects (floral and animal) in the larger items using palm-sized electric hand drills with bits not much thicker than sewing needles. Many of the special use drill bits were so unique and purpose-specific, they were not commercially available and were therefore hand made at the factory as they were needed.

These raw carvings, the ‘blanks’ as they were called, then had the small details hand painted and the voids filled with tinted Plaster of Paris, before most pieces had a thin, opaque back plate affixed. Each piece was then sanded and bevelled into its final shape and polished to its full lustre.

Though these pieces were made some 75 years ago they retain a surprisingly fine lustre and clarity, considering the tendency of clear acrylics to fade and discolour over time.

Every step of the production operation was done by hand, start to finish, and this unique line of jewellery and accessories was produced for several years, until the carvers retired, and the company moved into the advertising display design and production market.

This collection represents the remaining inventory of a unique family enterprise.

Chris Reid is a keen woodworker and sculptor. He has been woodcarving and teaching woodwork in high schools for forty years.

He is a member of the Victor Harbor Regional Art Gallery and Fleurieu Woodturners and Woodworkers Group. This encourages him and helps refine his craft.

He will demonstrate and display his creations at the show. You are invited to participate in creating a peace pole with him.