Furniture Design & Development Masterclass
The Brian Webber Fellowships were established in 2019 to provide opportunities for staff to undertake major professional development and research activities that directly impact student learning. The Fellowships recognise the support of Headmaster Dr Brian Webber (PAC 1988-1999), a distinguished educational leader, who had a strong focus on the recruitment of the best staff and their development as teachers and professionals.
One of the five 2022 Fellows was Senior School Woodwork Teacher, Jarrod Cross. Jarrod undertook a furniture design and development masterclass to develop knowledge and ideas he could bring back to the classroom, as Jarrod explains:
"The Brian Webber Fellowship has given me the opportunity to undertake a professional development course, which was outside what is normally available to staff at Prince Alfred College, helping to cover course fees, travel and accommodation costs.
As a Senior School woodwork teacher, I was looking for ways I could improve my furniture designing skills, gain insights into aesthetic aspects and be able to pass these valuable concepts onto students in my classes. With some researching I was able to find one such specialised course which addressed all of these. The course was a two-week furniture design and development masterclass with world-renowned furniture maker, author, and educator Michael C. Fortune from Canada, at the workshop of fine furniture maker Evan Dunstone of Dunstone Design in Canberra.
The combined knowledge of designing and manufacturing furniture between these two makers was extraordinary and their willingness to share their ideas and help me develop my own ideas was simply an amazing experience. The number of what may seem like small ideas, techniques, and industry processes I have brought back to the school and the SACE setting is well beyond what I expected of this course.
If you would like to support outstanding teaching and research, please consider a donation to the Brian Webber Fund. For more information, please contact Helen Karapandzic, Director of Philanthropy on (08) 8334 1220.
