A Domestic Violence Survivor and A Veteran: The Creation of Ballard Bear
A Domestic Violence Survivor and A Veteran: The Creation of Ballard Bear
- Abbey McKenna; founder of Ballard Bear
A few of years ago, I came across our Master Craftsman Duncan and his beloved dog Gracie, in North Brisbane. Having a young son of my own at the time, I was stunned by the beauty, durability and craftmanship of the toys Duncan was creating in his home workshop.
As I got chatting to Duncan, he shared with me that he was also a Veteran, a dad, and an ex underground miner. This stuck in my mind as I value our veterans and make effort to support them where possible. I had also worked in commissioning new water technology in mining prior to this.
Duncan was jolly, cheeky, yet humble about his skills. His eyes lit up as he watched my young son become drawn to his toys that he had laid out on the ground for the children to play with and he explained to me the features of his toys, such as functional arms, booms, buckets, and of course... suspension. I was fascinated by the process, and he happily shared with me how they were made by free hand, in his personal workshop.
Needless to say, my young son procured his own digger and dozer from Duncan. He spent hours, every day, playing with his revered toys. Some of his first words thanks to his love for his toys were "dig, dig, dig!"; "digger!", and "dozer!". The toys came everywhere with us. On short car trips, camping, to the beach, around to friends' houses. My little lad just couldn't be without them.
Shortly after meeting Duncan, I was 27 weeks pregnant. Myself, my 2 daughters aged 8 and 6; and my 1-year-old son; experienced severe domestic violence in which we had to flee. Lucky to get out and only having a very short window in which to get out, I grabbed my son's toys before I even considered taking his clothes.
I knew that his life was about to be turned upside down as we were leaving everything. His home, his dog, his familiarity. So I took the things he loved the most. His digger and dozer.
His digger and dozer offered so much familiarity and foundation in the following weeks. They still do to this day. Not only that, they offered me solace watching him play, and much needed time out as he was completely engaged in a world of imagination when playing with his toys.
Having to leave so quickly and having any money and our business drained and blocked from us, I needed to do something to help us get back on our feet and have an income coming in. We were in emergency housing and relying on beautiful friends to house us. The remedy was obvious. It was right there in front of me in my sons' hands.
Not only did we have a heart connection to the toys. Not only did are the Wheelworks Legacy toys made with exceptional quality and love. Not only are the durable and heirlooms, built to last through generations; I wanted other to have the opportunity to strengthen family bonds and create memories through the toys as we had.
I knew I had to bring Duncan's craft to the world. His craft offered us joy and calm in times of despair. On top of that, Duncan himself is an exceptional man. He is kind, funny, and thoughtful; as well as extraordinarily talented. His wife Bec is also a beautiful woman who helps him in the workshop. They treated my children like Grandchildren of their own when we visited. It was a no brainer.
So there lies the story of Ballard Bear and the manifestation of the Wheelworks Legacy Collection to the people of Australia.
We are building partnerships with Organisations, Charities and Corporations to extend our hand and raise money to support Veterans and people who have experienced Family and Domestic Violence.