PRESS RELEASE: The Great Australian Proposition: “Psst…Mate…Wanna buy the Harbour Bridge?”

Michael, unlike many gullible tourists since 1932, couldn’t afford to buy Our Coathanger from a spiv in a Sydney pub. He wanted that Bridge desperately, so he decided to build it himself.

“As a kid in Mortlake, standing on our front porch, I could see that beautiful Bridge in profile on the horizon.” He fell in love with it. “Years later, I was booked for speeding, driving my girlfriend over the Bridge in a Morris Minor – I’m very proud of that.”

This year, now a maker of Fine Art Furniture, Michael finally launched his Sydney Harbour Cocktail Cabinet, his life’s masterpiece.

It took him 36 years, in five separate workshops, using refined hand-skills and precious woods of the Art Deco period. It takes the form of a huge, fully-functional cocktail cabinet – not only the gorgeous Bridge itself, but also featuring 13 views of Sydney Harbour’s foreshore attractions, made by hand in vintage coloured glass, and beneath the surface, Sydney’s underwater life done in mosaic.
It is not a brown lump, but a vibrant riot of colour and Art Deco design.

“Michael Gill is not a minimalist kind of guy – ‘More is More’ might be his mantra.” – Linda Nathan, in the Australian Wood Review #119. She published a major feature exploring Michael’s “life’s masterpiece” – “Intricately constructed and ornate, it is a monument to Art Deco inspiration and his love of Sydney.” Linda dug deep and found this nugget:

“So where did Michael’s mad skills come from? Surely he was trained by the woodworking gods and legends?

‘I failed woodworking at school – I hated woodwork’, said Michael. ‘The teacher had only three fingers on one hand – I think he argued with a bandsaw.’”

Michael Gill and his partner of 52 years, Chris Payne, are designer/craftspeople, artists, radio presenters, snake rescuers, educators, owners of a wildlife refuge and worshipers of The Sydney Harbour Bridge.

website: https://www.sydneyharbourbridge.biz
video: https://youtu.be/kfD6naGxGzc
Australian Wood Review: https://www.woodreview.com.au/profiles/michael-gill-making-the-sydney-harbour-bridge