Bill Webb learned leatherwork from RM Williams and now hopes to save craft
Master leather plaiter Bill Webb is teaching traditional Australian bush craft in rural Queensland to ensure the art of leather plaiting survives. Webb, who learned from RM Williams, emphasizes patience and legacy over commercial success.
Why it matters
The story underscores the importance of preserving traditional craftsmanship and cultural heritage in an increasingly modernized world.
The Bloomsbury Soldiers Memorial Hall allowed attendees plenty of space to work on their whips. ( ABC Tropical North: Aimee Mitchell )
Link copied Share Share article On a warm winter's day, sunlight spills through the tall timber doorframes of the memorial hall where Bill Webb is gently folding one strand of kangaroo leather over another.
Dust dances in the beams of light as five women carefully follow his practised movements, cutting, braiding and conditioning at workstations dotted around the hall.
Conversation ebbs and flows as they laugh about husbands, children and the joys found living in rural north Queensland.
The room smells faintly of kangaroo hide and fresh country air.
For the next three days, they have traded family and farm for sharp knives, leather gauges and sheets of finely cut kangaroo skin.
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