Landed in the town of Boort, a small town but a big player in the agriculture scene. Their main income earners are cereal crops, tomatoes, olives, canola and wool. We came here for there other main attraction John Piccali aka "The Spanner Man". He lives on the family property that his Grand father bought in 1876 and is about 13kms out of town.
The driveway is a corridor of farm machinery that dates back to the late 1800's, but that is not where the magic is. Over the years he has bread cattle and sheep just to change it up he also raised deer, goats, camels as well as various bird such as turkeys, ostriches, pheasants, ducks and quails. He was the first Australian to obtain a breeders licence to import and breed Macaws, beautiful but still not where the magic happens.
What makes this guy remarkable is he is now wheelchair bound after contracting Polio in 1941 when he was eight. In the early 80's he began making his 3D garden sculptures by welding together old and obsolete spanners, this he did with just an image in his head, no drawings, no designs. Not letting the wheelchair get in his way he maneuvers his works with a series of overhead pulleys and ropes. No project is too small or too large.
Once he has done a sculpture, say an Eagle, a table, horse he will never do another one of the same subject. His latest project is a Kangaroo. All his sculptures are scattered though his garden and it is a delight to wonder through with an all inspiring sculpture at every turn. He has given several to the town and these are placed here and there through out the town.
The driveway is a corridor of farm machinery that dates back to the late 1800's, but that is not where the magic is. Over the years he has bread cattle and sheep just to change it up he also raised deer, goats, camels as well as various bird such as turkeys, ostriches, pheasants, ducks and quails. He was the first Australian to obtain a breeders licence to import and breed Macaws, beautiful but still not where the magic happens.
What makes this guy remarkable is he is now wheelchair bound after contracting Polio in 1941 when he was eight. In the early 80's he began making his 3D garden sculptures by welding together old and obsolete spanners, this he did with just an image in his head, no drawings, no designs. Not letting the wheelchair get in his way he maneuvers his works with a series of overhead pulleys and ropes. No project is too small or too large.
Once he has done a sculpture, say an Eagle, a table, horse he will never do another one of the same subject. His latest project is a Kangaroo. All his sculptures are scattered though his garden and it is a delight to wonder through with an all inspiring sculpture at every turn. He has given several to the town and these are placed here and there through out the town.
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