By GARY FRY
MATTHEW Prowse was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in August 2007 while he was working as a bowling greenkeeper at Cowra in western NSW.
He had been greenkeeping since he was 18 years old, working at bowling clubs at Mudgee, Drummoyne, Hornsby, Camden and Campbelltown.
Although he continued to work at Cowra for another 12 months post diagnosis, he found the hard physical nature of the job was exacerbating his symptoms so his Neurologist recommended he retire early at the relatively young age of 47.
Mr Prowse and his wife, Linda, moved to Ebor in 2009 in the New England District of NSW where they bought a small cottage.
After getting to know one our neighbours who was a woodworker, Matthew, with no previous experience other than some projects at high school, took this up as a hobby.
Mr Prowse started out with a wheelbarrow load of cedar generously given to him by the neighbour and made drink coasters cut from a branch and a couple of small pots with lids, a model stage coach and farm wagon. He found that he had a talent for making things, so of course; he needed more wood.
The industrious wood worker purchased a large trailer load of various dressed timbers from a deceased estate which included a lot of cedar and some magnificent red gum burl.
In addition, a number of other neighbours gave him some timber to work with including Ebor Wattle and Banksia.
His father gave him his wood lathe not long after he started woodworking and he continued on to make other items including jewellery boxes of various sizes, candlesticks, turned fruit bowls, drinks trays, clocks.
More advanced items were musical instruments – a bass acoustic guitar and four other six-string guitars plus a “lutar”; a guitar with a lute shaped base. He also made a medieval wind instrument called a Serpent after seeing a picture of one on the internet.
The Prowses joined the local Lions Club 12 months after arriving in Ebor and President Shirley Heffernan, who owns Fusspots Café in Ebor, offered Matt a place in the business for him to set up a permanent craft table from which he could sell the things he makes to fund his hobby.
This has proved to be a good move for all concerned, as Fusspots receives a lot of passing tourist trade. Mr Prowse’s work has now travelled far and wide including overseas.
He now spends most of every day in his shed making beautiful woodwork pieces and the activity is good for his brain, hand/eye co-ordination and his general wellbeing. At this point in time, his Parkinson’s disease is stable and managed well on medication.
Recently, Matthew started making wooden tulips after viewing a tutorial on YouTube and has donated set of three in a turned vase to Parkinson’s NSW to display on their reception desk.
“It is evident that Matthew’s woodworking hobby has helped him deal with the effects of his Parkinson’s disease in a positive way and has given him a reasonably good quality of life.
“The quality and creativity in his work is astounding, particularly as he self/internet taught,” Mrs Prowse said.
