Edgar Stubbersfield

I was born in the small Queensland town of Gatton in 1950. School and I didn't agree and my High School days were cut short when I was shown the door but eventually I saw "the light". After studying to be a pastor in Brisbane and the UK I returned to the family business, Gatton Sawmilling Co bringing my new UK wife, Rachel, with me. A fair question would be, can anything good come out of Gatton? Well, Gatton was the home of a Governor General of Australia (William Vanneck 1938). Unfortunately it is also the location of one of Australia's multiple murders. It was also the home of the best and most innovative hardwood producer in Australia, Outdoor Structures Australia (OSA).

Timber, particularly weather exposed timber, has been my living but Christianity has been my passion. My published works cover both fields. as for the timber side, my family had been involved in sawmilling and building for about 140 years and a lot of knowledge has passed through the generations. In 1985 we ventured into the footbridge market (almost by accident) and then followed public landscaping. Initially we just did as we were told by consultants who knew very little about timber. In about 1988 I decided I would come to know the medium I was working with far better than any of my competitors and most of the professionals who use my products.

There were no useful standards and guides for designing and building weather exposed timber structures such as boardwalks. That led in 1997 to my first formal research project on boardwalk design, engineering, supply and construction. Over the years there followed a complete set of guides. These allowed professionals to design timber structures of exceptional beauty and durability. Typically, everybody wants to re-invent the wheel and the guides were usually ignored. Invariably, the same mistakes keep being made over and over.

In 2012, the time came to close the manufacturing arm of OSA and to take on a less stressful lifestyle. I write a series of Timber Design Files so the industry does not have to relearn it. They are intended to show designers how to avoid the pitfalls of common, but often bad practice as well as Standards that are very inadequate and engender a false sense of security.