Peninsula Woodturners Guild
A Brief History of the PWG Audio Visual Group
The PWG Audio Visual group started when room for a demonstration area became available with an extension to the original shed, presently occupied by the sales tables. One lathe, kindly donated by an original member's widow was equipped with an overhead sliding track with a swinging arm that had an old donated video camera on one end and a counter weight on the other. A couple of old monitors for viewing followed and after a while, a tape recorder that produced, with a lot of sweat and tears from a mad volunteer, a tape to be presented to the demonstrator, and one for a future library. As time goes by, Rome wasn't built in a day, the present demonstration area with a raised platform and some steady fixtures to supportvideo cameras was created, with lots of help from Herbert Betz. Money was tight in those days and the needs of the AV group were at the bottom of the list. The progress depended on the availabilityof donations by members, of various items such as cameras, and on what could be found in the depths of Keith Taylor's workshop. Gradually a setup evolved that needed six members on a regular basis to operate the manned cameras, the remote control for the PTZ cameras, the camera switcher, and the audio mixer. There was also the roving microphone operator, to deal with questions and comments by the audience, between sixty and seventy members and guests on a good day.
Changes in technology led to the switch from tapes to video discs. Thanks to a valiant effort by Ron Howard, all tapes in the library were transferred onto discs. Members of the computer group, started up by long time member, Brian Anderson MD – designed and produced labels for all the disks and covers for the boxes with the help of Lew Gordon and others. From the beginning up to the onset of COVID the success of the operations depended on dedicated efforts by members far too numerous to be mentioned here individually. Week after week the Wednesday demos without fail, were on for over twenty odd years. Post COVID, there is a new story in the making – yet to be told! One such story is the move from analog to digital which went live at the beginning of 2023.
Andrew Kosnovsky
Historical Videos of past members
TV Prod'n featuring Bill Barber, Rod Jerard and Phil Turnbull - 1992.
Andrew Kovnovsky & Hugh Thompson June 26th 2002
Bill Barber 1999 - Copy Turning
Bill Barber - Occasional Table Legs
Bill Barber, Geoff O'Loughlin & John Lee - Oval Turning
Bill Beal 15th November 2000 - Off Centre Turning
Bob Kinsey 28 December 2001 - Intarsia
George Auburn - Making a Lighthouse
Herbie Betz 16th August 2000 - Key Ring Holder with Coin Insert
Lee, Walker, Howard & Barber 7th June - An Egg
Maurie Chevers 2004 - Spindle Turning Legs
Mike Keefe 20th December 2000 - Hollow Log Turning
Vic Wood in 1980 Sometime - Log Turning