Allen Duckworth, woodworker and native timbers crusader, Yvonne Barber & John Wade
Abstract:
In the preceding article, David Bedford identified four Australian manufacturers of cribbage boards: Grose Manufacturing Co of Brisbane; Clipsal, a brand name of Gerard Industries in Adelaide; John Sands & Co, founded in Sydney as Sands & Kenny in 1851; and Crown Mulga made by A.W.G. Davey & Sons Ltd of Cheltenham SA from c 1947–1954 or later. So when a board appeared at auction in May 2021 bearing a paper label with the maker’s name, ‘Allan Duckworth’, it spurred the authors to uncover his background. Newspapers, local historians and family sources have revealed a mass of information and a selection of his works. American-born Allen Duckworth (1863–1940) was a staunch advocate of using Australian native timbers, particularly those from Beech Forest in Victoria, for furniture and ornamental woodwork.
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