November 2009

Couple's pastime takes off

TRAVELLERS Bruce and Kaye Kirkbride can often be found rummaging through garbage bins at caravan parks around Australia.

And they admit some people might think they're just "plane" crazy ... and they would be right.

For caravanners Bruce (46) and wife Kaye (50) have turned their interesting pastime into a mobile cottage industry which helps pay for the ever-increasing site fees and fuel costs as they meander around Australia.

Bruce transforms discarded aluminium drinks cans into model aeroplanes, complete with wind-driven revolving propellers, while Kaye has become a dab hand at fashioning tin cans into colourful and stylish hats.

Caravanning News caught up with the go-ahead Victorian couple – who have been caravanners for around 20 years – as they busily turned another collection of Coca Cola, beer and spirit cans into a 'squadron' of aircraft and collection of fashionable shiny hats at a Sunshine Coast caravan park in Queensland.

Their Landcruiser is loaded with hundreds of aluminium cans while their 17ft Evernew poptop caravan and annexe provide space and shelter for a modest workshop with sewing machine and necessary tools.

Bruce said it took seven cans to build a single-engine aeroplane, while the larger twin-engine model required 18. Nine were usually needed to produce a hat, which comes fully lined.

"I suppose the best sellers are made from Coca Cola cans because they are so striking and colourful," he explained. "But aeroplanes and hats made from Jim Beam, Bundy Rum, Jack Daniel's and XXXX cans are quite popular. People generally buy things made from the cans of their favourite tipple, and sometimes they buy because they look good and want them for their bars or BBQ areas."

He said the festive season was a particularly busy time for them because people wanted the aeroplanes and hats for Christmas presents.

And how did they begin their venture?

"We always had heaps of beer cans lying around and Kaye came up with the idea of making aeroplanes from them," Bruce explained. "It became quite an enjoyable pastime and then we thought we'd take our wares on the road.

"This year we've sold at shows in Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin. We used to do the Melbourne and Royal Adelaide shows but they're too expensive to get into now. We also do field days and local markets wherever we happen to be. It works out quite well sometimes."

Bruce said inquisitive caravanners often wandered over to their caravan to see what they were making. "We create a lot of interest at caravan parks. People stop for a chat and sometimes buy from us," he said.

Their aeroplanes and hats have even been exported to England, Canada and New Zealand.

"When we're in high tourist areas we sometimes sell to people from overseas who don't want to carry their purchases home in their luggage, so we post them to their address," Bruce explained.

The couple estimate they spend six months of the year touring, clocking up around 18,000km. But they are now considering selling up their home at Portland and hitting the road full-time.