Forging creativity and connection: The story behind Bushy’s ProjectsBy Tahney Fosdike. Photos supplied.Thanks to Coast Lines magazine“No one does what we do," says Charlie Keep, Creative Director of Bushy’s Projects. She runs the blacksmithing business with her husband, Tom—a self-taught blacksmith with a background in tourism."I was very nomadic. I'd relocate between Darwin and the Riverland depending on the season,” Tom says about life before Bushy’s. “I did that for five years before becoming a tour guide full-time. Then, I drove buses with backpackers through the Outback, running tours out to Uluru and Kakadu."Meanwhile, Charlie was across the world in the UK, working in film with Disney and other studios. The pair met by chance during one of Tom’s tours when Charlie was visiting Australia. Several years and many adventures later, they combined their creative streaks by relocating to Encounter Bay in 2020 and setting up their business in Port Elliot a year later.Tom has always been connected to creating things by hand. Born in Alice Springs, he says he owes his appreciation for nature as a source of inspiration to his father, whom he calls a “natural bushman.”"It's about the mindset—making something of not much,” he says, “When you're in the desert, there's not much to do. You have to make your own fun and activities. That mindset is key."Tom has carried this sense of self-sufficiency throughout life, developing his trade as a self-taught designer and maker in his 20s, forging steel and carving, crafting and shaping timber, using traditional techniques, to tell stories about the materials themselves.“It's a degree of resilience and dealing with uncomfortable environments and resourcefulness and being able to make something out of not a lot,” Charlie says, “Tom built the entire workshop out of upcycled materials–all the benches, power hammer, all pieces of equipment.”Over time, Tom’s passion allowed him to accumulate enough knowledge to open Bushy’s, where he creates bespoke, made-to-order commissions as well as a line of more affordable items. Raw and natural materials remain central to his artisanship, with his range of unique products made to last and be used over a lifetime. “I think he just loves it because he gets to go and have fun every day,” Charlie says. Bushy’s started fairly organically, from small commissions to retailing products through other businesses, like local breweries, before joining various markets and shows.“It's just taken off, really,” she says. “We made it happen.” Soon, people began asking Tom and Charlie if they could ‘come and have a go’ in the workshop.To meet demand, the pair, using their backgrounds in marketing and tourism, developed workshops to engage the community in the blacksmithing process. The 'Blacksmithing Experience' accommodates up to six people, inviting them to forge one large or several small items under Tom’s guidance. Sessions last four to eight hours, although Charlie says, “Tom always goes over time because he always overdelivers.” “The majority of people really want to come and get stuck into it. “We even had a mother and daughter drive all the way up from Mount Gambier.” Tom says his background as a tour guide helps him engage with people. He uses the experience to share values of sustainability and connection, encouraging participants to bring self-sourced sentimental materials to be turned into functional objects. "A father and son recently brought in a machete from their grandfather. They wanted to turn it into a cleaver. It’s a meaningful piece for them." He says that people have brought in pieces of the decommissioned Granite Island Causeway, as well as other locally collected and historical materials from the Fleurieu Peninsula, like railway spikes picked up during a walk along a train line.“Things like this would usually sit in the shed forever. Now, they bring them in and make things out of them, like knives,” Tom says. Bushy’s aims to give materials new lives, while holding onto their meaning.There is more to come for Bushy’s, with potential workshop expansions and membership programs on the horizon. No matter where the future takes them, craftsmanship, sustainability and community will remain at the forefront as the couple blends innovation and tradition with their distinctive sense of adventure.
