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Tony Fithyan

DOWN at the bottom of a Southampton garden is a small shed, which is exactly how a shed should be: organised chaos. Tools spread across the workbench, an all pervading, rich smell of wood, and various bits and pieces of hardware packed on shelves and hanging from the roof.

It is in the middle of these rather cramped conditions that the highly skilled hands of Tony Fithyan transform a plain piece of wood into an object of real beauty.

Tony, a 67-year-old former motor mechanic, is a stick-maker, not just any old sticks, but beautifully carved creations made from a wide variety of wood and animal horn.

As a young child Tony would regularly visit his grandfather, who worked at a former boatyard in Northam, on the banks of the River Itchen, at his home in Winchester Road.

"I suppose I could have only been about four or five years old at the time but I loved going to my grandfather's workshop as he would let me bang nails into bits of wood and I was fascinated with all his tools,'' said Tony, who before retiring in 2003, worked for 48 years at the old Carey and Lamberts and then Hartwell garage in the Avenue.

"I loved working with wood, just the feel of it, the different colours, the look of the grain and then, when my grandfather died, he left me his collection of tools.'' By making walking sticks and crooks, each one unique, Tony is continuing a traditional and ancient craft, which is becoming more and more popular.

Tony is both a member of the local Hampshire and Dorset Stickmakers and the British Stickmakers' Guild, a national organisation which arranges about 40 different shows and competitions every year.

Formed in 1984 the aim of the guild members is to encourage the collection and the art of making walking sticks, canes, staffs and shepherds' crooks.

A halfpenny from 1940, incorporated

Tony's first ever walking stick, which he still treasures, was made of blackthorn, and this interest was sparked as the result of his love for being out in the country, walking and birdwatching.

"While I was working I would go walking every month with my colleague, Dave Thomas,'' said Tony.

"I just could not find a walking stick to suit me so I decided to make my own.

"It's difficult to say how long a stick takes to make from start to finish, as I tend to do it in fits and bursts, but I always have a selection on the go down in the shed.

My favourite wood to work with is lilac as it looks so good and is always interesting but I also use ash and chestnut while one of the most prized sticks are those made from branches which have been wrapped round by honeysuckle.

This gives the wood a distinctive corkscrew shape and is highly sort after by stickmakers.'' Although there are a number of professional stickmakers, Tony's efforts are purely for his own pleasure although he has carved two special ones for his four-yearold granddaughter, Ella Trudgeon.

2:21pm Monday 31st March 2008

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