Pulling together this latest article for Patagonia’s blog, Roaring Journals, felt a lot more like play than work. I packed my beloved Hasselblad a few rolls of film and my world-weary digital camera (a Fuji XT1) and drove into the Byron hinterland to capture Will and Simon’s story.

“Will Burke makes chairs; Simon Cleary makes surfboards. When I park between their adjoining sheds on a farm outside Byron Bay, the sun is shining, and the wind’s been offshore for over a week. Will’s surrounded by wood shavings, and Simon’s dusty from putting the finishing touches to his latest creation – a custom twin-pin. They’re planning on surfing later that afternoon to wash off the dust.

Will and Simon shot on film in their studios

This idyllic working life was once a distant daydream for the childhood friends. They’d first met in woodworking class in high school, where they discovered the satisfaction that comes from creating something with their hands. In the years after school, they continued chasing that feeling.

Growing up in Byron Bay during the noughties, there were two constants: the pull of the ocean and the abundance of work in the trades. Carpentry apprenticeships were waiting with open arms, calloused hands and a crook back, and the pair leapt down a career path that made good sense and even better money. “We were really locked into carpentry,” recalls Simon of the time. “We saw our lives laid out before us – finish the apprenticeship, become builders, and work until our bodies gave out.””

Read the full article over on Roaring Journals.

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