The Australian Plaiters and Whipmakers Association, representing most of the leading plaiters and whipmakers in Australia.

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Who we are and what we do

If you want to know anything about the plaiting and braiding of leather or the making of whips then this is the best place to look. The majority of the top plaiters and whipmakers in Australia are members of our Association, and we also have a number of International members who are well known in the field.

The Association was formed in October 1985 with the aim of preserving and passing on the skills and trade secrets of this highly skilled art. When we first began publishing our quarterly journal some of the older experts told us quite bluntly that they had no intention of passing on any of their secrets, but after a few issues they began to see the great advantages to be had by sharing information. Soon we had some of the top people in the field sending us information which had never before appeared in print.

The advantages of this sharing became obvious when one of our leading experts in Turk’s-heads, Neil Hood, was killed in an accident. Today his memory is kept alive through the writing and drawings that he did for publication by the Association.

The well known Snowy River whipmaker, Bill Toland, only ever wrote one article on how to make whips, and this was for the Association just before he died.

Fortunately there are many experts still living who contribute to our journal, there are names that are well known in Australia, and also we have International experts, such as Tom Hall in the USA who has contributed many articles over the years.

I have been president of the Australian Whipmakers and Plaiters Association from its founding in 1985 until the present day and in that time I have seen membership grow from a handful of enthusiasts to well over 200, including quite a number of professional whipmakers and belt plaiters, plus people who specialize in complex braided work.

In recent years we have had regular get-togethers of members, where beginners could gather round to watch and learn from the experts, and in turn share their own knowledge. Even before our Association had been formed I had written a couple of books on whipmaking, but after watching our top whipmakers in action I felt it necessary to fully revise and enlarge them in order to preserve and pass on the skills that they taught me.
  

Australian plaiters and whipmakers are among the best in the world, and our top people are very proud of their position and determined to fight to preserve it. We originally had no intention of getting on the internet, but our committee became alarmed when we began to get complaints about problems being encountered by people when dealing with whipmakers who were already on the Internet.

We investigated the complaints, but could do nothing because the people involved were not Association members. Our committee then decided that we should get on the Internet in order to supply a service, especially to overseas purchasers, which would guarantee that any member who did not provide satisfactory service to the customer would be expelled from the Association.
  

Among our members we have some of the top crafts people in the country. Most of the major prizes for both whipmaking and plaiting (or braiding as it is called in America) have been won by our members in recent years at the major shows. Not only that but some of our well known members are also called on to judge many of the important competitions in the nation.

If you get work from these top people you are getting work from the best in the country. However not all of us are that clever. We also have members who are not prize winners, but rather are good solid craft workers who can make an honest product for an honest price.

What it amounts to is that you get what you pay for. One thing the Association cannot do is act as an arbiter of quality. Some people will buy a quite ordinary whip and think it is the best one in the world, while others will choose the top of the range and then complain about it!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we are not going to get into that argument. One of my favourite whips is quite ordinary, very plain, but showing sound workmanship. It gives me pleasure every time I handle it, and yet it cost very little.

I have my own favourite whip makers, but it would be unfair to other members if I named them. When we buy whips for our saddlery shop I favour one maker for the best quality plain whips, and another for the expensive and detailed kangaroo hide whips, and still another who can supply rough and tumble cheap whips for everyday work among cattle. Another maker (who supplies only the trade and not the public) produces our bull whips, and yet another makes miniature whips for decorative hat bands. Everyone has their own speciality.

We offer only one guarantee, but it is a good one. If you have any complaints about your dealings with our members supply us with full details and we will investigate the problem. If it is a simple misunderstanding we will try and sort it out, but if we find their has been a serious breach of faith then the member will be expelled.

However if you don’t like the colour of the whip don’t bother to tell us. Go to the local bar and cry into your beer. The people behind the bar are paid to listen to that sort of story, but we are not. Our aim is to get you a good, solid deal and by so doing protect the good name of the Australian plaiter and whipmaker.

For a customer on the Internet this is a very difficult question, and unfortunately one that cannot be easily answered. Just because a person can make a very fancy and elaborate web site does not mean that they can make an equally fancy whip.

Be cautious of people who make elaborate claims about their whips! My two favourite whipmakers advertise so modestly that you could pass by their ad without a second glance, and yet their work is among the best in the country.

As President of the Association it would be unethical of me to name them, but if you are serious about building up a good whip collection I would suggest becoming a member of our Association and studying the back issues of the journal. See who is writing the articles, and who is judging and winning the competitions.

Ron Edwards
President, APWA 
 

As a result of the activities of our members, and perhaps also as a result of the Associations interesting and informative quarterly journal, interest in the subject of whips and whipmaking has grown a lot in the past few years, so much so that people all over the work are seeking examples of this work.

The Australian stockwhip is the best in the world, not because Australians are smarter than other nations, but because we have been blessed with abundant quantities of excellent whip making materials. We have a very long tradition of whipmaking that has never been allowed to die out, as has happened in many other places.

Membership of the Australian Plaiters and Whipmakers Association is open to anyone who has an interest in the subject. It is very cheap as we are a non-profit making group and only need enough to get out our journal and keep the wheels rolling.

Annual subscription if Australian $40.00, which includes four issues of the journal, which comes out whenever we get enough contributions. Articles are welcomed from anyone who has any interesting information to pass on, especially tips on how to do things.

We have members all over the world, but because the journal has to go by economy air the joining fee for overseas members is $52. Economy air takes about three weeks to arrive, we think it starts off by plane but ends up pony express.

Payment by cheque can be a problem because sometimes our bank wants to charge a $15 fee to process each cheque and sometimes they don’t. This is why banks make such big profits. Credit card seems to be the best way.
 

KANGAROO LEATHER:

Packer Tanned , greasy and drum stuffed whip and belt roo leather, available in five colours: natural, saddle tan, whisky brandy and black. Sizes range up to over 1 square metre. Good weight belt hides and fine grained whip hides available. Hand cut lacing also cut to order. Value and quality guaranteed.

Price; AUD$99.00 per square metre plus postage.

Prices include GST. International customers deduct 1/11 th.

Contact: Richard Taubman
"Spring Valley Station"
Murringo
Via Young NSW 2594

email: tauweb@hn.ozemail.com.au  Ph:02 6384 6292  Fax: 02 6384 6230

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© Australian Plaiters & Whipmakers Association 2000
last updated October 2006

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