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Maitland Men’s Shed have done their part to contribute to the $20m worth of Toranas expected to roll into Maitland for Toranafest in September, by adding three wooden replicas to the mix.
Each of the replica Toranas was crafted painstakingly from a single block of wood by Men’s Shed member Brian Coggan, who spent more than 100 hours on the three projects. The finishing touches were then added by fellow shed member and former professional painter Phil Phillips.
“It’s a bit of fun and games. I don’t take much credit for them, I just enjoy making them,” Brian said.
The miniature models will be raffled off over the Toranafest weekend on September 16 and 17, with funds going to charity and the shed.
The models aren’t the only contribution to the weekend by the Men’s Shed, with members also crafting and painting trophies, in the form of giant spark plugs, for the event.
Toranafest co-ordinator Mick McCardle called Brian and Phil’s work “unbelievable”.
“It’s one-of-a-kind stuff,” he said.
“Getting these guys involved, it’s injected a lot of interest in the shed.”
Hunter Valley Torana Club president Pete Morris said the partnership with the shed was part of involving the Maitland community more in their flagship weekend.
“We’re expecting more than $20m worth of cars this year, it’s going to be bigger than ever,” he said.
“It’s great to see the community get behind it.”