From trash to treasure

THE winners of Ballina Salvage Shed’s Recycled Art Competition were revealed during an exhibition at the resource recovery shop on the weekend.

Ron Ford won the open award with his creation South Paw – a letterbox he made with scrap metal.

Ivy Hickson won the under-12s category and the people’s choice award with Stitch Surf’s Up, which was made with an upcycled letterbox from the tip shop and wood from her dad’s shed and decorated with shells she’d found at the beach.

Students from Ballina Coast High, who are regular visitors to the shop, won the 12 to 18 and group categories.

Support worker Josh Gooley said it was great to see the creativity on display.

“It was nice that some kids were working with their grandparents to put things together,” he said.

“Most of the entrants came to the exhibition and it created a lot of buzz in the shop.

“A lot of people on the day were buying things to upcycle themselves – I think we sold double what we usually do.

“It was good to see people getting amongst it.”

The two design categories for 2024 are ‘letterbox’ and ‘backyard animal habitat’, which could be any structure built to accommodate animals, ranging from dog kennels and bird baths to bee or insect hotels.

The competition had four prize categories.

The prizes were $150 for groups of three or more people, $150 for the open award, $100 for 12- to 18-year-old entrants and $50 for under-12 entrants.

Entries were open to all artists, hobbyists, young people, community groups and schools.

Located next to the Resource Recovery Centre in Southern Cross Drive, The Salvage Shed is operated by Tweed Heads-based not-for-profit organisation Momentum Collective, which helps people with disabilities find housing and employment.