30 April 2026
The Garan Hale Story
The North
East NSW Forestry Hub has released a new video featuring beloved woodworker
Garan Hale and the Northern Rivers hardwoods he turns into furniture.
Where does
the timber in a handmade dining chair, a garden bench or an heirloom side table
actually come from? A new film from the North East NSW Forestry Hub answers that question at the workbench of one of the Northern Rivers’ most
experienced fine woodworkers — Garan Hale, whose workshop at Warrazambil Creek
near Kyogle is built around the salvaged hardwoods of the region.
Nick
Cameron, the Manager of the North East NSW Forestry Hub, said the video adds a
fine-furniture chapter to the Hub’s growing video series on the people behind
NSW native timbers. “Garan’s story showcases the incredible skills and techniques
involved in producing what can only be described as exceptionally beautiful heirloom
pieces. The depth of understanding and care that Garan applies to native hardwoods
to bring them to life is truly remarkable.” Cameron said.
SEE VIDEO HERE
Operating
as Designer Woodworks (@designer.woodworks on Instagram), Hale has been working
with wood since the age of eight, inspired by a grandfather who made everything
by hand. He completed a fine woodworking apprenticeship in Mittagong, worked on
restoration joinery for the first Australian naval vessel, spent several years
building classical and steel-string guitars, and built his own hardwood
workshop near Kyogle more than thirty years ago.
Today, Hale
salvages, mills and dries his own timber on site. Local species such as river
oak, silky oak, blue quandong, mountain oak, white cedar and camphor laurel are
recovered from trees that have come down in storms, floods or old age — timber
that would otherwise be left to rot or be overlooked by commercial mills.
‘If there
are only one or two logs, where they’re not going to be of interest to a
log-truck operation, I’m quite happy to go out and salvage them — especially if
they’re rare or unusual timbers that I can use for furniture,’ Hale said
in the video. “We have some of the best woods in the world, and I really
like to showcase that. The diversity of timbers is the greatest in the world,
bar the Amazon.”
From log to finished piece, Hale’s process takes more than a year.
Logs are
broken down on a band resaw, air-dried for around twelve months, then finished
in a solar kiln before being worked into his range of chairs, tables, benches
and commissioned joinery. Pieces such as the Daily Chair, the Out
There Bench and the three-legged Stellar Stool are refined through
full-scale prototypes — the Daily Chair alone went through thirteen
prototypes over seven years.
Hale’s
design philosophy is traditional and order-driven. ‘Function is my first
criterion. Second is structure — you’ve got to make sure everything’s strong
and going to perform its function. And then aesthetic is third,’ he said. You
would never know however that aesthetics ranks third as all of Hale’s creations
are incredibly pleasing on the eye, and the thing that makes his creations so
desirable.
The video
also follows Hale and his partner Bianca van Luan across their property, where
they are removing invasive species and replanting native hardwoods along creek
lines — including slow-growing timbers such as Australian rosewood, red cedar
and white beech that take many decades to develop and mature. Hale describes
well-made, durable furniture as another form of storage, locking timber up in a
cherished, usable item for generations.
“Sustainability,
to me, is about leaving the place better than we found it — improving the
resource we’ve got not only for the end result of wood production, but for
biodiversity and habitat,” Hale said. “I believe we can have it all if
it’s managed well.”
According
to Cameron, the video series is about reconnecting Australians with the source
of their wood. “Garan’s story is a reminder about what can be achieved when
care, creativity, knowledge and passion are combined and applied over many
years. Australia is blessed with an extraordinary range of beautiful hardwoods
and Garan has truly mastered how to show them off.’ Cameron said.
The Garan
Hale video adds to a growing library of videos produced by the North East NSW
Forestry Hub, profiling the people who grow, harvest, process and craft NSW
native timbers. Earlier instalments featured Coffs Harbour Hardwoods, Ironwood
Taree and Machin Sawmill.
ABOUT THE
NORTH EAST NSW FORESTRY HUB
The North
East NSW Forestry Hub is one of eleven Regional Forestry Hubs established
across Australia under the Commonwealth’s National Forest Industries Plan.
North East NSW is the heartland of the State’s hardwood timber industry, with
around 850,000 tonnes of hardwood logs sourced from native regrowth forests and
hardwood plantations each year. The Hub works with industry, governments and
stakeholders to support a sustainable, productive and innovative forestry
sector across the region.
MEDIA
ENQUIRIES
Nick
Cameron, Manager, North East NSW Forestry Hub
manager@nenswforestryhub.com.au | 0422 577
805
The Hub acknowledges funding support from the Australian Government
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.