Last week the kids of the Scotts Head Playgroup got a chance to move the wooden dolls into their brand new custom-designed abode.

“They thought it was great – they couldn’t wait to get their hands on it,” Men’s Shed coordinator and deliveryman Stuart Holmes said.

Dan Koch had already designed and constructed some miniature furniture for the dolls to interact with, so the new house design was able to be made bespoke to match the furnishings.

Dan’s father, Armin, was known as the ‘Swiss Toymaker’ of Nambucca Heads and it seems his son is following closely in his footsteps.

“We could have bought furniture out of a catalogue – but that costs an arm and a leg,” Lifetime Connect’s Eddie Dangar said, who commissioned the project.

And Dan has made sure there’s enough furniture to kit out the six room house, including a fridge, sink, and flat-screen TV.

Dan and Steve Rae, who constructed the house, were able to use offcuts from the shed, meaning only $6 worth of resources (for paint) were needed to finish the build.

Another member, Tony Quirk, and his carer, took on the task of master artist, designing its aesthetic.

Tony is one of a half a dozen men in the shed who have a disability of some sort.

“He’s been involved in the shed for fifteen years or so and he engages with his other many abilities. He’s involved in most of the projects and events we have at the Men’s Shed – it keeps him active,” Stuart said.

“The best part about projects like this is that it gives the guys participating pride in giving back to their community – it’s a win/win.

The dollhouse is over a metre high, painted in heritage colours, and open on both sides to promote language and creative play.

“Being open in the way it is makes it more interactive, and the staff say the kids are able to play with it standing up,” Eddie said.

“I love it because it’s really old-fashioned. They decided to do it in heritage colours which gives it a feel from another time. There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about it.”

Stuart said the dollhouse is big enough to happily fit half a dozen kids around it without fights breaking out.

“And we made sure it was sturdy enough so that if some kids decided they wanted to climb through the middle of it, it would hold up,” he said.

The dollhouse will stay at the Scotts Head Playgroup for a term or two, before moving onto one of the other five playgroups in the Valley, so all the kids in the Valley get a chance to have a play.

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