For 37 years, the sounds of machinery, the clink of tools, and the greetings and conversations among members have filled the sheds behind 137 Cobra Street, every Wednesday.

But sadly, the tools are being sold off, and the sheds will be silent. Without enough members to keep it going, the club has been forced to close down.

"We've been putting it off for probably about three months, but the crunch time came at out AGM last Saturday where we couldn't get sufficient people to stand up to take our executive and committee jobs," Club Secretary Charlie Fletcher said. "So we were left with no choice but to actually shut the club."

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The Dubbo and District Woodturner's Club was formed in 1984 with 14 members. The woodcarvers' group joined in 1991. They became active in the community and further afield at the Mudgee Field Days.

The group has been a stalwart at the Dubbo Show since 1989, when it began the Woodturners and Woodcraft section, and continued running it until the pandemic forced the show's cancellation last year.

They have also been regular faces at Orana Mall and Dubbo Square (formerly Dubbo City Centre), often displaying their masterpieces and selling them. The sales allowed the club to operate debt-free.

"They owned everything they had, and that's how the club grew, just through the commissions through the sale of articles," Mr Fletcher said. "A lot of Dubbo people supported us."

"In our heyday we had about 65 members, and we finished with 15. But they were mainly older people, the average age of the club at the moment would be about 85. Most of the original members have passed on now, there is still one alive - Lex Bramble, but everyone else is gone."

Located behind the Arts and Craft Cottage, a long-held affiliation between the groups will also come to an end. But the woodturners are leaving them a parting gift - 50 per cent of the money from the sale of all their equipment.

The other half will be used to purchase something for the Dubbo Oncology Unit - an item or items of their choosing.

"I'd just like to thank the Dubbo people, especially the Arts and Craft who we've been affiliated with ever since the beginning. Also the Lands Department, we have an agreement with them and they've always been very easy to get along with.

"Thanks to the people of Dubbo and everyone who has supported us."

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