Don’s windmills are whirlwinds of generosity. 69116 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By Vanessa Chircop
HAVE you seen a colourful windmill spinning rapidly around Hobsons Bay on a windy Melbourne day?
Or maybe you’ve seen one in Deer Park, Werribee, Kyneton, or Burwood and found yourself wondering who created it.
The answer: Don Bedella.
Don has been making these windmills since his retirement 20 years ago and they’ve become somewhat of an iconic symbol in parts of Hobsons Bay.
The long-time collector started making the windmills from bicycle parts – pulling apart bicycles he had stored in his shed.
“I didn’t know what to do with all the bicycles,” he said.
“So I started cutting them up and making windmills out of them.”
But Don is not just a creator of windmills – he also makes model planes – hand-crafted out of pinewood. The 84-year-old said his hobbies keep him young and help fill in time.
“I’ve always liked to be doing things,” he said.
Don’s wife Lorraine said people were always knocking on their Brooklyn door asking about the windmills at the front of their house, and wanting to know where they could get one.
Despite the keen interest, Don doesn’t sell his creations but often gives them away to people who show an interest in his work.
And with each windmill taking about three weeks to create – Don’s generosity spreads not only throughout Hobsons Bay but Victoria.
From Altona to Bacchus Marsh to Wodonga – Don’s windmills can be seen spinning far and wide.
