Waterfall resident sets wheels in motion for new hobby
From professor to woodwork aficionado, Colin Rogers created five positively gorgeous wooden cars during lockdown.
WHILE many took to honing their baking skills during the nationwide lockdown, Waterfall’s Colin Rogers geared up to try his hand at something a little different.
He completely transformed recycled wooden pieces into five intricately detailed wooden automobiles from a bygone era.
“There was nothing to do and someone sent me a photo of a Rolls-Royce model and I said I could make that out of wood and they said I couldn’t. The challenge was accepted,” laughed the 78-year-old.
Armed with nothing more than a compilation of images of the vehicles from different perspectives, found during a quick Google search, the handyman set off to work in his quaint garage adjoined to his home.
Before the big move to Waterfall Gardens Retirement Village, Rogers held a post as an associate professor of organic chemistry at UDW/UKZN.
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“I moved into this home from a three-garage workshop in Durban, so most people who come past think it needs to be cleaned,” he laughed.
“I’ve always been good with my hands and I love working with wood because, if you mess up, you can always glue the bits together again.”
Pre-lockdown, Rogers spent his spare time crafting Victorian rocking horses, built from reconstituted wood.
“When I was making rocking horses, every time my wife annoyed me, I would go and chisel a bit. You can only image how quickly I was able to finish them,” he teased.
His first vehicle creation was a 1931 Bewick Sedan, then a Chevrolet Coupe, followed by a v12 Cadillac Sedan 1932, then a 1931 Cadillac Roadster and a 1935 Auburn Boattail Speedster.
“These cars were guaranteed to do 100 miles an hour and were the type of cars that only movie stars could afford to purchase,” he said with a sense of wonder in his eyes.
“I think these vehicles are all so aesthetically beautiful. Nowadays, cars are all made in a wind tunnel and they all look the same. These were stately things, like art deco buildings. They are definitely prettier than the latest models.”
With each creation, Rogers became a little bit more adventurous with his crafting and began to add in hinges to allow the doors to open.
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“The first car’s doors do not open but when I started the second one I really wanted it to be more interactive,” he said.
“When I made the first one I looked at it and thought to myself ‘did I really make that?’. It has definitely provided a lot of amusement for the rest of the inmates here as, when they are walking around the complex, they come through and check on the progress,” he grinned.
It took him about one month per vehicle and the greatest challenges he faced were when he was creating the boattail and its mudguards.
“It was like crafting something for a spaceship,” said Rogers.
With five cars completed, he has since received a commission from his daughter, alongside a pile of detailed plans, to create a 1934 Mercedes Benz.
In his spare time, and because of his experience with wood, he helps people in the village with their broken chairs and wooden objects that need to be reconditioned. To top it off, he just created a bird feeder for her sister-in-law.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
