ARTIST DARREN GOLEBY CELEBRATES VIKING FAMILY HISTORY MAKING CARVED VIKING CHAIRS
Macleay Island artist Darren Goleby proudly looks like a Viking.
That’s because he has family heritage that links his ancestors to the famously explorative and ruthless nordic race of a thousand years ago.
Small wonder that Darren has examples of his heritage in his art and carpentry skills at his Macleay Island home.
He has carved the front of a Viking ship at his front door and he has started a popular island industry fashioning the famous Viking furniture.
These are two pieces of inter-locking timber that in one instance can be your personal seat at home (in your Viking hut) or modern island lounge room.
Or, you can unlock it and take it down to the waterfront and it can be your seat in the family Viking ship, or be part of the ship’s floor.
That’s how it was a thousand years ago for the famous Nordic race, and that’s how it is at Darren Goleby’s gallery on Macleay Island.
“I have been making and carving traditional Viking seats for years.
“They have functional uses as well and are a great decoration and talking point,” Darren told The Friendly Bay Islander.
Darren has them in various sizes in large, medium and small.
The smaller Viking chairs are great in a music room as a to stand for guitars and other musical instruments.
As well as carving his Viking seats, Darren is also always painting or working on his collection of vintage motor bikes, one of which is a 1925 Villiers Mk ll Excelsior; which is known in the motor cycle world as a ‘Black Hornet’.
A couple of years ago, this bike and Darren’s work was recognised by the Vietnam Veterans as the VFFV Best British Motorcycle restoration of 2020.
The bike was a barn find for Darren (found on Russell Island) and it was only recently he finally tracked out the last remaining piece in the puzzle, the back end stand to the bike.
“The bike is now complete and it has been a bit of a long process,” he said.
• Darren Goleby with his 1925 Villiers Excelsior Black Hornet surrounded by his carved Viking seats!