Ross Wayth, the Wonga Park French Polisher!

In May 2001 Ross Wayth joined the Wonga Park Community Cottage as a Tutor, teaching French
Polishing. He commenced with one day per week with a class on a Wednesday evening plus a one
weekend hobby course.

Over the course of 18 years, Ross’ class has grown from the Wednesday only to now delivering 5
classes per week. His extensive knowledge of the antique trade and sense of humour means
students are inspired to restore furniture back to their former glory. Some wonderful friendships
have been formed over the years as well. Some of the students have shared some wonderful
feedback and a sample below is a great testimonial -

“Why do I still love French Polishing classes with Ross after 12 years of classes?
 -  I still can’t believe that rubbing a mixture of Lac beetle excrement and methylated spirits on
a piece of wooden furniture can make it look shiny and amazing.
 -  I can recover tired, worn out looking objects from the hard rubbish collection or scrap pile
and turn them into something that is beautiful and worth keeping (even though Ross says
they lack ‘quality’ and will never be valuable).
 -  There are always new techniques to learn and problems to solve – this has helped Ross’ hair
to go grey or even white over the years!
 -  The class is very friendly, supportive and encouraging. Ross is a wonderful teacher and you
get to meet people you wouldn’t normally mix with.
 -  It is much, much cheaper than other forms of therapy!”
​
As we move into 2020 there is a greater demand to be more sustainable – by providing classes like French Polishing it gives us a great opportunity to live by the mantra of the three R’s of
Sustainability: reduce, reuse and recycle.
If you have inherited a piece of furniture that you cannot bear to part with but it is looking very tired or dated – give it a new lease of life, rather than going to landfill. Instead it may be the new centre piece rather than just tucked into a corner.
Join us at the Cottage in 2020 with a great selection of classes either day or night throughout the
week. See our program for further details.
Phone: 9722 1944
Email: wpcc@bigpond.com.au
Website: wongaparkcommunitycottage.org.au