HILARY Rains is proud of how far the Beaudesert Potters have come.
The woman who has dedicated more than half of her lifetime to the local group remembers when they started with a handful of members meeting in each other’s homes in 1975.
Now there are about 40 members, and they are gearing up to celebrate 50 years with an anniversary exhibition launching on February 28, 2025.
They are making unique tiles to form a 50th anniversary mural and plates for guests to eat from and take home at the launch, Garth Weatherall will run a fundraising auction, there will be a retrospective display, a raku firing, and Mrs Rains is compiling a book.
Mrs Rains, who was founding president and is now patron and life member, is full of praise for the potters when she pops into their workspace, where they meet each Wednesday.
The potters’ den, which is part of the Beaudesert Community Arts and Information Centre (BCAIC), continues to go from strength to strength.
The potters helped establish the BCAIC, which was opened in 1995 with Mrs Rains as founding secretary, and they have been based there ever since.
Prior to that, they rented the Arts Pavilion at Beaudesert Showgrounds for 16 years at a cost of $1 per week.
Among the most recent enhancements to the potters’ facilities at the BCAIC is replacing the roof and installing new exhaust fans and lighting in the kiln room through a Gambling Community Benefit Fund grant.
They have secured many grants over the years, but Mrs Rains also recalls when they raised money through flea markets outside the Gleneagle butcher shop in the 70s, selling baked goods, plants and even bags of dairy yard manure.
Their collective efforts have paid off over the years to keep growing a supportive space for local artists to meet, learn from one another and work on their projects.
Current president Ruth Armstrong speaks said the group is the biggest it’s ever been.
“I think Covid isolation brought pottery back into vogue – people found things to do and clay was just one of them,” she said.
“We’ve got three kilns and we’ve just got a grant for a new kiln.”
