1 April 2025

Bungendore's 'best gallery in Australia' set to close

2 April 2025 | Tenele Conway

The Bungendore Woodworks Gallery holds prominent place in the community of Bungendore.

The Bungendore Woodworks Gallery holds a prominent place in the community of Bungendore. Photo: Tenele Conway.

Being named the best gallery in Australia hasn’t been enough to save the Woodworks Gallery in Bungedore, which recently announced the imminent closure of the business.

Operating in its current location on the corner of Malbon and Ellendon streets since 1994, the gallery was founded in 1983 by David MacLaren. The accolade of best gallery was received only last year and was awarded by the World Art Awards, an occasion that coincided with the gallery’s 40th anniversary.

The announcement was made via the gallery’s Facebook page on 28 March.

“This decision has not been made lightly. After decades at the helm, artistic director and founder David MacLaren OAM is ready for a well-deserved retirement.”

The Facebook post also indicated that challenging economic conditions had also played into the decision.

“While he has explored succession options, sustaining a gallery of this scale has become increasingly challenging in today’s economic climate. Despite our best efforts, we have not found a viable path forward.”

Previous rumours of closure were quashed in late 2024 when David held a changing of the guard ceremony in which he announced his successor.

The ceremony took place after a 10-month period of planning by David as to who his successor would be, and with much artistic flourish, Rolf Barfoed, a craftsman woodworker from the region, was presented as interim director of the gallery in October 2024.

Gallery manager Sharon Rasker and staff have advised Region they are hoping to share more details after a visit from Mr MacLaren’s family takes place in the coming weeks.

The gallery supports more than 160 suppliers and craftspeople. Sharon has previously said the town needs the gallery and today (28 March) said the closure was “going to be huge for Bungendore”.

The impact will surely be felt across Australia, with makers and artists losing a key distributor and Bungendore needing to brace for the loss of 120,000 annual visitors who visit the gallery each year.

Former Bungendore Show president Katie Asplin expressed her disappointment over the gallery’s closure.

“The Woodworks Gallery has been a long-time and generous supporter of the Bungendore Show, sponsoring competitions in the pavilion. It’s such a shame to lose such a community-minded business, especially one that embraces local arts and crafts.”

Katie also expressed her concern for the Bungendore business community, which suffered with the challenges of the commuter population and now reduced visitor numbers and hoped that the town didn’t become full of empty shops.

The gallery is inviting everyone to visit one last time to experience its legacy and take home a piece of its craftsmanship before it closes.

Original Article published by Tenele Conway on About Regional.

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Shev8:10 am 04 Apr 25

It would be great if the 100+ artists could form and operate as a cooperative. The community keeps the gallery, and the artists retain the great outlet.

David Rowlands2:22 pm 02 Apr 25

This is not just ‘another business to go under’. This gallery was unique and extremely valuable to many people who enjoyed fine woodwork and the local community, who benefited from so many visitors to the village. Its closure will be a disaster.

Not The Mama2:09 pm 02 Apr 25

Why politicise this sad sad event?

Bungendore is a fair bit out of the way, I imagine that the gallery itself charged only a small proprtion of the ticket prices and there is no admission fee, the items are (necessarily) high price but not really essential (ie they are luxury goods) and most folk are struggling to make ends meet.

I’ve been to the gallery on a few occasions over the years and purchased only one small box. I imagine I am the norm rather the exception.

If you think about it the gallery’s closure was almost inevitable under these circumstances.

Perhaps an admission fee – refundable with a purchase could save the gallery?

Tina Albert12:24 pm 02 Apr 25

Such a shame, love this place!

Keith Cook12:21 pm 02 Apr 25

Another one bites the dust
as a result of this Labor Party Government.
The highest number of businesses closures in history. 😡

Reply View 9 replies

megsy2:10 pm 02 Apr 25

Do you have evidence to support either claim?

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Linda Williams2:20 pm 02 Apr 25

Keith Cook What’s the closure got to do with the Labor Govt.?

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Keith Cook7:13 pm 02 Apr 25

Linda Williams have you been asleep while the price of electricity, gas, fuel, insurance, taxation, interest rates etc. have been rapidly increasing since LABOR were elected to Government?
Then on top of all those cost increases to a business the purchases by customers are falling due to everyone suffering from the cost of living pressure crisis that LABOR have done stuff all to get under control.
I am a Director of my local Sporting and Services Club and we are struggling to keep the two clubs that we own open due to what I just explained. One of the cost cutting decisions we have had to make is to reduce the amount of money that we normally donate to our local Sporting and Community groups, as well as providing financial support to our local Schools for students who have to travel away on trips to represent their Schools. 😡

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Crazed_Loner5:02 pm 03 Apr 25

On the other hand, have you been asleep while we had a global pandemic and then the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which together both led to supply chain disruption and price spikes fuelling inflation? Just like in the rest of the world, their being WORLD events. Yes, Labor certainly inherited an ordure sandwich, on top of the profligacy of the Morrison government ($40 billion given to big business which didn’t need it!). And then we had a derelict Reserve Bank which gave the wrong signals then was too slow to raise rates and subsequently got carried away – including the first rise before Labor was even elected. I look forward to your explanation of how those world events were Labor’s fault.
Or instead let’s hear your solution for what Labor should have done, other than what it has done – because just giving money directly to people, rather than as rebates and in price cuts, would have only fuelled inflation and led to more interest rate rises. Oops!
Past policy failures by both sides of politics over many years have led to the cost blowouts in housing and gas, but how has Labor got any control over world oil prices or insurance spikes due to the plethora of costly natural disasters? Your answers on the head of a pin, please…

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JS91:20 pm 04 Apr 25

Pokies just not the rivers of gold anymore Keith? That’s what most clubs rely on – which is actually highly resistant to economic conditions.

I’m sure all that money you grant to community groups is well beyond what you earn out of pokies however….. surely……….

Oh wait.

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Gary Jewell3:11 pm 04 Apr 25

Keith Cook how the Heck has this got to do with politics,,, Have you seen the average price on items… Obviously only Liberal people wood be able to afford the prices… (Pardon the pun..)

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Keith Cook3:24 pm 04 Apr 25

Gary Jewell take a look at my reply to Linda Williams
and all will be revealed.
Only Labor people wouldn’t understand why costs have risen so much.
Pardon the pun. 🤔

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Gary Jewell5:39 pm 04 Apr 25

Keith Cook I shall do that… BRB..

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Gary Jewell6:01 pm 04 Apr 25

Keith Cook the Price of things have been going up far more than the time Labour’s have been in.. what you quoted to Linda were remnants of scomo and Co.. you may be co of a club, But that doesn’t cut it with me.. how long has the beer excise been in. And the cost of a packet of smokes ? And did we not have The Howard government introduce GST.. And cut out Sales tax.. guess they forgot to dispense with that.. Governments as a whole do this, so your club rely on Pokie profit, Beers sales.. to give back to the public.. Our clubs do the same.. you’ll just have to be more diligent with your private school intellect. Maybe when Daffey Dutton gets in, You can get back on track. And a wooden pencil at a shop in Bungendore won’t cost $200.00.. But good luck with your BS Analogies. Cheers.

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Anne Roberts9:10 am 02 Apr 25

A huge loss to the art world and Bungendore!

Rob8:09 am 02 Apr 25

Yet another business to go under. When business people talk of “economic conditions”, they mean high labour and electricity costs, and high taxes. Country jobs lost and the community deprived of yet another service.

These business closures aren’t going to stop until government changes its policies.

Reply View 4 replies

JS98:36 am 02 Apr 25

That is an exceptionally narrow definition of economic conditions.

The real problem here I suspect is lack of disposable income to spend very large amounts of money on their products. They have some glorious stuff in that gallery, but cheap it is not. Not arguing with their pricing policy, but when your prices are relatively high compared to alternatives, and effectively you are largely selling luxury goods – when people have a squeeze $ wise, this is the first sort of purchases that cease.

That’s the real economic conditions story here, not some tired and lazy jibe at ‘it’s all the goverment’s fault’.

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Alison Sexton-Green12:42 pm 02 Apr 25

It is indeed a sad day when an iconic business closes. The loss is huge for Bungendore and all the people the gallery supported. David did an amazing job and deserves a well earned rest.

As to whose fault this is – the sad fact is that things change and I would prefer not to blame anyone.

Here we are in the midst of an election campaign, with a whole lot of blame going on. Let’s all take a very deep breath and remember that a whole lot of stuff has happened that our governments have little or no control over.

The pandemic, global inflation, the war in the Ukraine – could it be argued that these factors are the real causes of some much of the current economic pain?

Be careful what you wish for, when you think one government is to blame, and a new one will make it better, take a look at the bigger picture – where did these problems come from and will a change really make things any better?

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Alison Sexton-Green12:45 pm 02 Apr 25

I think your response is too simple Rob, there are so many conditions that our governments have no control over that have contributed to the hard times being experienced by so many. The pandemic, global inflation, the war in Ukraine. Be careful what you wish for, when you think one government is to blame and that another will fix it, it’s important to look at the big picture too.

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Not The Mama9:46 pm 03 Apr 25

Well said Alison…

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