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“There is something deeply generous in that act of renewal, and the work carries a quiet sense of care, continuity and respect for both tree and creature,” the judges’ citation said.<\/p>\n
For Allbutt, it starts with the timber itself, pieces that might otherwise be cut up for firewood, given another life.<\/p>\n
Working from his Queenscliff workshop, he has spent the past nine months turning salvaged timber into marine life shaped as much by instinct as intention.<\/p>\n
Nancy-May is his largest work to date, carved over roughly 90 hours. It is also one of his most personal.<\/p>\n
The sculpture is named for his mother.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “She’s so beautiful and majestic and peaceful and tranquil, just like our mum,” Allbutt said.<\/p>\n The practical skill behind the work, he said, comes from his father Gil, a commercial boat builder, while the artistic influence traces back through his mother’s side.<\/p>\n A chainsaw removes the first sections, rough and decisive. As he continues, the progress slows. The timber is rolled, turned, studied, the grain guiding each cut.<\/p>\n “It happens organically,” Allbutt said. “There’s no measurements to it. I just keep chipping away and let it evolve as it wants to.”<\/p>\n The cedar itself came via a tree surgeon, who called when the 50-year-old tree was being removed from a property in Belmont.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “What do you see?” they asked as it came down.<\/p>\n “A baby whale,” Allbutt said.<\/p>\n Growing up in Queenscliff, much of Allbutt’s work is shaped by the water. Whales, dolphins and other marine life have inspired his sculptures, drawn from a lifetime spent surfing, sailing and watching the bay.<\/p>\n “It’s about putting smiles on faces, but also highlighting these animals and looking after them,” he said.<\/p>\n Before she made the trip to Melbourne, Nancy-May was briefly installed at Portarlington front beach for photographs.<\/p>\n Within minutes, people had gathered, taking photos, lifting children up to sit on her back and asking if she was staying.<\/p>\n For all the growing attention, Allbutt remains measured about what comes next.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/DarrenAlbutWhaleScul_91150.jpg\")
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