Quirky collection unveiled

The curator and cultivator of one of the largest and most historically significant axe collections in Australia, Steve has proudly lined the walls with more than 1600 of the wood-working tools.

Born and raised on the Darling Downs, Steve began his collection 22 years ago.

"I used to cut all the firewood for our family, both grandparents and the older pensioners in town at Allora, and that was how I got my pocket money, and so the first one I bought - which is worn down a bit now - it's what they call a coachmaker's axe and it was made in Sheffield."

Singling out a mahogany squaring axe, Steve explains the significance of it to his collection.

"The English used to cut the mahogany over in Honduras but they'd square it off, because round logs were inclined to roll on the ships and take up unnecessary space, so they'd square them off and sail them back to England where it was turned into fine furniture."

Steve says the axe, made by Robert Sorby in the Kangaroo Works, Sheffield, in 1904, is "as rare as hen's teeth", with most of his knowledge on the subject coming from self-education.

"Growing up, I had nobody when I first started, so I've had to work a lot of it out myself. I learn most of it through reading, but no one book tells you everything about an axe, so you've got to sit there and go over and over them and join all the dots - it takes a bit of doing."

Not alone in his passion for collecting, Steve's wife Maree has accumulated more than 400 egg beaters which line the walls of their home.

"There are all sorts of factors that come into why we do it - one of them is the chase and the thrill you get from tracking the stuff down, and then the thrill of ownership and being able to hold a piece of history in your hands," Steve said with a cheeky grin.

"To research it and hold something that will never be made again - the quality will never be seen again and it's a tie back to a more honest time.

"I think we've lost our way as a society and, back then, life was honest and you did a fair day's work for a fair day's pay."

Steve happily admits that people will think the couple are mad, but he sees their collection as an ongoing investment.

"For years Maree was worried about having no bank balance, but it's not all gambled away - it's still here."

Steve said Maree started to get "fair dinkum" about the egg beaters about 10 years ago, after coming across an unusual plastic model.

"That was the first one and I just thought it was a novelty, and it was sitting there for a long time before I found it in a book which they call the Egg Beater Bible - it turned out to be made in Hollywood in 1964, so it's very rare and it was an extra thrill," Maree said.

"Then I bought a second one because it reminded me of a cold meat fork we had when I was growing up, and it's just grown from there."

A throwback to a simpler time, Maree said egg beaters have now been passed over for the simpler whisk.

"They were ingenious in their designs, and the funny thing is that it's hard to buy an egg beater today.

"They've kind of gone out of fashion, so that in itself makes them collectors' items."

Proudly displayed in the home's entrance is a collection of Australian-designed beaters which, Maree says, are among the most prized for their ingenuity.

"They used ball bearings to create a cog-like mechanism, and I haven't seen that design come out of any other country, and nothing ever goes wrong with them."

The couple struggle to choose favourites within their growing collections with such a widespread history spanning from the early 1800s.

"There are a hell of a lot of collectors around, but you don't hear much about them," Steve said.

"Either they don't want to publicise what they've got because they're afraid of being knocked off, or they've got the age-old Australian attitude of blokes don't like to think anybody knows more than they do."

The couple both agree that collecting isn't just about having the "biggest and the best", but to spend time researching and purchasing the appropriate item to create a collection which will add to the history of their respective item.

"You have to home in on the grand scheme of things and, that way, you build a collection that's worth something."