Trades of the past put on show for exhibition

Big crowds flocked to the Ballarat Exhibition Centre  for the Old Trades Exhibition. Every skill from boot and knife making to bookbinding and calligraphy were on display at the inaugural event.

Coordinator Andreas Litras  said given it was the first time the event had been run, the response from the community was fantastic. 

“This is the first time we have run the event so it was a bit of an unknown as it always is with new events but we have some really interesting and fantastic people who have come out of the woodwork,” he said. 

“It has been amazing how many people there are in our region that have been practicing traditional trades and crafts but also some people who are putting a new modern twist on them.”

Mr Litras estimated around 34 exhibitors had attended the event.   

“It has been really incredible for us how it has panned out, it is going to build over the weekend,” he said. “I think there is a fascination with these sorts of skills.

“In today’s society we have so much of this mass made, commercial stuff that lacks character and personality, it is cheap but that is the best thing about it, it is cheap. 

“When you come along and see the things these people are making it is individual , it is handcrafted, it has those sort of elements that make it unique. I think people are putting more and more value on these sorts of things.”

Mr Litras said there had been a real focus on making sure people at the event were also demonstrating their trade to the audiences.  

“We understand people have to sell things because that is how they make money, but we want people to demonstrate so people can see what they do and the younger generation can see it and say ‘that is how you do it’ and they can see something made by hand,” he said. 

A number of younger people also attended the event getting an insight into trades that are far from common career paths in today’s society. A number of items on display would have been considered family treasures in history according to Mr Litras.

“Traditionally they were heirloom items that people cherished and kept in their families and some of the stuff you see here are the sort of things if people saw them, they would keep them and pass them down to their children.” 

David Smith was one of many to attend the event and brought along his traction engine for a display. 

“I’m here to admire the trades of the past and the skills they had,” Mr Smith said.  “It is good to see some people still have all these types of skills.”