New wooden seating at Cooroy library

Cooroy’s state-of-the-art library is proudly displaying a new addition to its grand entry – a handmade wooden seat donated by the Cooroora Woodworkers.

A long time member of the Cooroora Woodworkers, Dave Putland was chief designer and builder of the piece that now catches your eye when entering the building.

Cooroy Community Precinct Manager Tracey King said the feature chair has really brought a new warmth and friendliness to the entry.

"We are getting so many comments from people about how beautiful the chair is and how it gives the entry an entirely new feel," she said.

Mr Putland created three models for library staff to review and then select the design that would best suit the needs of library users. The seat needed to complement the existing building, provide comfortable seating and reflect the natural beauty of the woods used.

Mr Putland said the seat was designed specifically to blend with the existing wooden slat structures that line the front exterior wall of the library.

"The seat is made from materials sourced locally, with even the brackets coming from a local supplier," he said.

"We selected tallow wood and blackbutt timber from a mill at North Arm for the project."

Development has been underway for many months and Mr Putland has spent hundreds of hours crafting the piece. He even built small timber features in the shape of books to cover external brackets that secures the seat to the wall.

"It’s this attention to detail that makes the seat such a special addition to our wonderful library," Ms King said.

The seat was completed with the assistance of a number of Cooroora Woodworkers who worked for many days sanding and varnishing, giving the seat its stylish finish.

The library and woodworking group are part of the many groups that operate on Mill Place precinct.

Ms King said this seat is just one example of the numerous ways the library operates in collaboration with the many partners at the precinct.

"We encourage the Cooroy community to come and visit the library and take part in the many activities that Mill Place partners provide," she said.