Our wooden toys initiative is the ultimate blending of recycling, reusing and repurposing.  

At our woodworking facility we acquire used wooden shipping pallets and off-cut timber from local carpenters and factories. The pallets are disassembled and the boards are machine-planed. From there, templates are used to mark and hand cut toy components from the pieces of timber. Each part is then hand sanded, painted and assembled – creating brightly coloured wooden children’s toys.

By using discarded shipping pallets and off-cut timber we are able to maintain very low production costs. Work for the Dole participants are trained to create these toys. In turn, our participants gain practical skills and experience in woodworking craft, machine operation, and start-to-finish project fabrication.

 
These wooden toys are donated to Children’s Hospitals in QLD and NSW. Hospital staff distribute the toys to patients and young visitors to help make their time at the hospital a little less stressful. Children may take the toys home, providing a small but positive keepsake of their stay at the hospital.

Here are samples of our wooden toys – notice how they are nostalgic of the handcrafted “old-fashioned” toys of days gone by!  To purchase some of the handcrafted toys click here to access our online shop.