namg newsletter - feb 2012

DSWA - NORTH AMERICAN MEMBERS GROUP! FEBRUARY, 2012

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ONWARD & UPWARDNEWSLETTER OF THE DSWA NAMG

GREETINGS!And welcome to the first edition of the DSWA

NAMG’s

Throughout 2011 and before, many educational efforts, such as workshops and seminars held all across the North American continent, have helped to strengthen the integrity of our trade by replacing misguided notions with clear direction. Testing venues offered by dedicated DSWA members and examiners have provided necessary feedback to aspiring wallers working diligently to improve their skills. Many have devoted their time and resources to become DSWA certified examiners and instructors. Thanks to these efforts, and the efforts over the past 4o plus years in Great Britain, we now have a framework in North America to keep our passion for dry stone walling alive and thriving.

! In addition to developing a sense of community among DSWA members in North America, the DSWA NAMG hopes to foster an environment where efforts to advance quality and

integrity in dry stone walling eclipses efforts of solely promoting a casual and informal awareness of the craft. Our members have expressed again and again a need to

encourage and maintain the high standards represented by DSWA training and certification ! We hope you will all enjoy reading the news of some of our members who responded to our request for updates on walling related activities. Officially, neither the DSWA nor the Members Group specifically endorses any activities or events mentioned within the newsletter, but is pleased to share members stories with other

interested members. DSWA members are encouraged to submit material regarding educational projects, charitable works, outreach, training, preservation, techniques,

etc. which are pertinent to the efforts and in keeping with the standards of the DSWA for future issues of the newsletter.

Matthew Carter

NAMG Steering committee


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! Throughout the past few decades, dry stone walling in the countries of North America has survived as a relatively small, virtually unknown community of dedicated craftsmen and women. Those of us who make a living practicing the craft understand the inherent value and durability of the walls that we construct, yet we continue to compete with the most basic myths surrounding dry stone walls; they aren’t safe, they’ll fall apart if mortar isn’t used, they simply won’t last long enough to be worth having one built. Perhaps these myths are magnified in North America due to the lack of any distinct walling heritage, or maybe the advent of concrete building products has swayed public perception. Regardless of these myths, there’s a fledgling community of wallers in North America that have been working diligently to educate the public and disseminate the facts about dry stone walls to any willing listener.! Although there are a couple of other organizations in North America that promote dry stone walling as a craft, the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain has maintained a handful of certified members (predominantly in the Northeastern area of the US) throughout the past two decades and through those members, has assisted in restoring and maintaining the brief walling tradition that exists here. To date, the DSWA has a small community of active wallers around the US and Canada, steadily growing in membership and certification each year. Thanks in large part to the internet and social networking, the distances that once separated our walling community have vanished, resulting in a much more cohesive and communicative group. Through months of conversation and debate, we’ve established a strong desire to develop a greater sense legitimacy in the public eye. What we want as a community is the ability to expand in membership throughout the three major countries of North America, establish regions where DSWA-sanctioned workshops/classes and certification tests can be held, organize regular events and festivals throughout the continent, and develop a presence in the public works sector so that we’re able to effectively compete for Federal and State/Province public projects.! We understand that these are long term goals that can’t be achieved without taking those first, vital steps as a group. Consequently, we’ve decided to create the North American Members Group of the DSWA. To date, current members of the DSWA who reside in North America have worked closely together to create a Steering Committee, a move that will ultimately direct those first few steps for the Group. We are fortunate to have the assistance of the recently formed Stone Trust, based in Dummerston,

Vermont, to help establish organizational guidelines and a Mission Statement for the Group. The Stone Trust also houses the only known indoor training, certification and educational facility for the DSWA in North America. Also providing assistance in this process are Andrew Loudon and Tracey Blackwell, two Deputy Chairs of the DSWA (as well as very prominent wallers in the UK) who have been a tremendous help thus far. Their insight and wisdom has been immeasurable and we’ve been thankful for their guidance every step of the way. Throughout most of this past year DSWA member Andrew Pighills (of Connecticut) had been acting as the North American Representative to the DSWA, a role he relinquished upon the formation of the Steering Committee. His experience and advice have proven incalculable, and his patience throughout this gradual progression has been sincerely appreciated. As we continue to take the necessary steps to create our Membership Group, we hope to continue growing as a community. To those of you who support dry stone walling and appreciate it as the unique craft that it is, we hope that you continue to support the DSWA into the future. To all of you for whom this craft is a career, as well as a passion, we wish you continued success and look forward to hearing from you regarding past, present and future projects. For all of you supporting the DSWA, we thank you for your consideration and sincerely invite you to join the conversation. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the DSWA and the significant impact it had on restoring perhaps one of the greatest and oldest crafts in existence. We aim to uphold the standards originally set forth by the DSWA and anticipate assisting in building a strong future for the craft of dry stone walling.

By Jeff Fairfield(in conjunction with the NAMG Steering Committee)

***A kind reminder to all DSWA members, January 31st was the deadline for renewing your membership. You may renew via mail, phone or online (through the DSWA website)

A Brief History on the North American Members Group of the DSWA

by Jeff Fairfield


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!www.dswanorthamerica.org

! The DSWA North American Members group now has a new web presence in order to increase exposure for the DSWA, our members, and our mission in North America. The site will serve as a clearinghouse of information for those wishing to find and connect with DSWA members, locate training opportunities, and find out more about the DSWA.! Please follow the contact information on the home page to submit information that you think is pertinent to the website.

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2011 DSWA Instructors Training Seminar Readies Eleven Members To Teach

Dummerston, Vermont- !

! Eleven dry stone wallers from across North America travelled to Dummerston to take the 2-day instructor training course offered by the DSWA through the Stone Trust, and taught by Steve Jonas. We spent many classroom hours covering topics such as learning styles of the adult learner, communications skills, instructional styles,presentation aids, and course planning, to name a few. We also spent time at the Stone Trust’s exceptional facility housed in a bucolic setting, (Scott Farm), practicing our techniques and presenting material to each other for critique and feedback. The training was an excellent way to help instructors take their teaching skills to the next level and organize top-notch workshops.

DSWA NAMG WEBSITE UP AND RUNNING

First row: Michael Weitzner, Jared Flynn. Second Row: Travis Callahan, Evan Oxland, Steve Jonas(instructor), Andrew Pighills, Akira Inman, Chris Tanguay. Back row: Brian Post, Chuck Eblacker, Matt Carter, Dean McLellan.


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! It is January of 2012 as we write this report so won’t you join us by the wood stove as we take a moment to reflect on our first year of existence? The Stone Trust is a mission driven, not for profit organization located in Dummerston, Vermont. Our mission is to preserve and advance the art and craft of dry stone walling. Now, with that said; how do we go about doing it? We modeled our organization after the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain; a registered charitable organization that is aims to promote a greater understanding and knowledge about the traditional craft of dry stone walling and to encourage the repair and maintenance of dry stone walls throughout Great Britain. ! In creating the structure that would become The Stone Trust, we found not only a model in the DSWA, but also an allegiance that has helped guide our programming, networking ability, and governance. One year ago, we partnered with The Landmark Trust USA and broke ground on our Training Facility. This facility is located in the Scott Farm’s old milking parlor of a barn built in 1862. Farming began in 1791 on this land and

the entire 571 acre farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Landmark Trust USA and The Stone Trust have similar missions and business models as they are both born from British historic preservation organizations.! Our goal for the training facility is to be the lively heart of the organization. We imagine a place where you could study for an upcoming professional certification in your off hours, nights or weekends; rain, shine, or winter. We aim to continue filling it with excellent building material to the extent that each of the DSWA certification exams can be administered there. Additionally, a library is filled with reference materials; books on the shelf, a photo library of historic dry stone features as well as curious installations, and quick reference material to enhance the experience while training or some last minute refreshing tips.! Seasonal programming is part of our plan- with a focus on outdoor historic preservation in the summertime and professional development in the winter as well as programming for other external organizations that are passionate about dry stone walling.

! The site preparation included extensive renovations to the barn to create an atmosphere conducive to stone walling: an even sandy, gravel floor,

The Stone Trust2011 Annual Report

! The creation of an indoor/outdoor training facility, certifying DSWA wa!ers and instructors, offering training to the general public, and advocating for the consistent upgrading of legislative language surrounding issues relating to dry stone wa! protection, preservation and construction are among the many goals and accomplishments by the dedicated staff of The Stone Trust. Revenue #om testing, workshops, and donations of a! sizes, as we! as volunteer efforts help to keep this great resource going!

M.C.


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bringing in the stone, lighting, installing posts to enhance the flow, bookshelves and a spot to eat lunch.! Within this year we were able to assemble the schemes to test DSWA Levels I, II, and III. And we had exams take place on each of these schemes. We’ll discuss these later.! In addition to creating a training facility, we needed correct instruction to be available. In March, we held an instructors course with 11 members of the DSWA North American Level II Group, professional wallers, participating. Proper instruction on proper walling was held over two days. Consistent with our mission, creating a body of instructors available to certify and hold workshops means that we can increase the stonewalling brain power and pool of professional experiences. Students can benefit from this greatly as well as the organization itself. We appreciate the history of the craft and art and wish to highlight the diversity with which problems can be solved.Another note regarding the instructor’s course: this was the first time this course has been held on the continent of North America. ! We started public programming in April as the last of the stones were brought in to the Facility. Eight stonewallers from the US came to test their walling in the DSWA test schemes as examined by Dan Snow and Michael Wietzner. Hailing from North Carolina, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, the candidates were testing for DSWA Levels I and II. Two dry stone walling workshops were held this past year-- one in May and one in September. Our workshops are held on one of the many derelict walls on the Scott Farm. Restoration these historic walls is not only teaching our participants proper walling but also repairing the agrarian landscape. Led by our newly certified instructors; Jared Flynn, Andrew Pighills, and Brian Post the collective workshops had 26 participants and they repaired 55 feet of wall. ! October’s programming was fun because of the guest appearance of Dave Goulder of Scotland. Dave and Dan Snow, both DSWA master craftsmen/examiners, led 11 participants through some of the farm land where they learned about the geology of the area and how that would impact the walling styles. Some trailside walling repair resulted in several feet of singling being rebuilt as well as 4 cheek ends. ! The next day, Dan and Dave rallied and examined 7 test candidates at the Facility. Candidates tested for Levels I, II, and III and were all happy to receive passing grades from the two masters. This concluded our programming for the year.The Road Scholars stopped in during the exam and were impressed by the Facility and the erudite air of intention that the exam brought. Created by Elderhostel, Inc., Road

Scholar is an educational adventure for adults. The Stone Trust was proud to be their host and we were voted best adventure site by the group that came by. ! We also held an open house in June that was publicized in the local paper and 35 curious town folk dropped in to see what all the fuss was about. The Stone Trust has also contacted the State of Vermont’s

Department of Transportation as we seek to have them adopt the Standards of Dry Stone Wall Construction. VTrans has responded that they require the Standards to be employed on five State funded projects. We continue to look to match the jobs with certified wall builders and we are building the database that will link the two. ! Lastly, The Stone Trust’s web presence is similarly taking shape. A central web site, www.thestonetrust.org is the hub where we have downloadable construction documents, certification requirements, guides for amateurs, contact information and the calendar of upcoming events and exams. Additionally, we use Facebook as a way to connect socially, a Linkdin group as a way of coordinating certified wallers and a Youtube channel where we have not only videos of own making but of fellow stone aficionados. We find that online community building is very powerful and useful for sharing as well as organizing stone wallers. Check in with us to see the new material and don’t forget to Like us!! Thank you for all of your support as we are just getting our base installed and we start to build with our foundation stones. As you all know all too well, the founds are heavy and take much thought to install. Soon though, we will be on to the next courses and will really feel like the effort was worth it!

Sincerely,Peter Welch

Vice- President of the BoardThe Stone Trust

http://www.thestonetrust.org/

http://www.thestonetrust.org/


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We here in Canada are pleased to announce what should turn out to be a terrific walling event to attend this Sept 28-Oct 1st 2012 in Hanover Ontario. A 4 day event called "Stonewurxs" is scheduled to take place, which will entail everything from courses, professional installations, to children’s events. The event is being held as a means of promoting the DSWA Great Britain, our own North American Members Group, the Certification process and the Charitable ethos that needs promoting here in North America. After doing some walling projects in conjunction with Tim Kraemer of Ground Effects Landscaping and Paul Brydges Landscape Architect, we approached them last fall with the idea of hosting a 4 day event that would serve to promote Dry Stone Walling here in Canada and to also encourage the certification process and thus standards for walling here. Tim was immediately supportive and Paul began the work on drawing up the plans for the Stable and the walls that will serve as a focus for the event. With Tim eventually benefitting from having a dry stone Stable and hopefully a good length of wall on his property, he is providing the funding for the event as well as his numerous contacts throughout the area to help promote the weekend. Tim went so far as to take on a publicity professional, Deb Fawcett, who has been the guiding force so far towards the efforts of getting the word out in the area. We decided to request the advice of Andrew Loudon and Tracey Blackwell, both deputy chairmen of the DSWA. I asked them to recommend two master wallers that could come over and help to promote the charitable standards that the DSWA has been known for as well as being able to provide certification and to encourage that process here. They wrote back that they had two terrific candidates in mind - Philip Dolphin and Bill Noble. Both are renowned wallers and both have given tirelessly to the DSWA. As an added bonus, both have previously worked with Andy Goldsworthy and have gained some notoriety from doing so. This goes a long way in drumming up interest here in the Landscaping crowds. We insisted that Andy make himself available again for us here in North America as well as having Tracey come prior to the event to help promote a charitable build at a women's hospice in London Ontario in April. Chuck Eblacker of Rochester will be kindly joining in those efforts as well. Tracey will also get the ball rolling by helping to instruct an initial course at the Stable site which will help to drum up interest in the event. We had Stephen Harrison over last winter to help us out on a project in northern Ontario, and he has served as a constant source of encouragement. He greatly stressed the need for us to get off our duffs and to make the effort to take the initiative and create a walling group here in Canada that would more closely reflect the goals and aspirations of the DSWA. With

that in mind and with tremendous gratitude for his efforts we took it upon ourselves to include Stephen into the mix to either help out on the structure and lend guidance, or if the numbers dictate to aid in the instructing and examinations. With him being a tremendous supporter of the DSWA as well as a repeat visitor to North America, previously lending a hand at walling events in the U.S., (not to mention another Goldsworthy waller), it was a no brainer to bring him along as well. Both Tim and Paul are members of what is the largest Landscape overseeing body in Canada, called Landscape Ontario. L.O. represents over 2000 Horticultural professionals and they have a strong commitment to maintain confidence and trust in the profession and to also encourage and support education and research. Paul recently become treasurer for the association. They have been great supporters of the craft of walling here in Ontario and have constantly urged us to come up with and promote a certification process here that would give both landscapers and consumers and architects greater confidence and knowledge in utilizing dry stone methods in their projects. Apart from promoting standards and education in the field of landscaping they are involved in numerous charitable events each year, with the latest being a number of their members coming down to Toronto to clean up and restore the park where the Occupy Movement took place. They also host the largest indoor garden show in Canada called Canada Blooms each spring and it has been our tremendous pleasure to be able to create dry stone features in conjunction with them. They have also been the encouraging host to numerous walling courses at their headquarters in Milton Ontario. Many thanks to Tony Di Giovanni and Denis Flanagan, who have booth been staunch supporters of the craft and the accreditation process here.

Ontario “Stonewurxs” Festival Planned For Fall 2012


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The event, while being similar to past walling events here in Canada, will differ in tenor greatly with the emphasis on promoting the DSWA and our NA members group, as well as the encouragement of the certification process. After being dissuaded for many years from taking part in the process and belonging to the DSWA, I have of late learnt of the value of their efforts. I saw their charitable actions first hand at the walling conference in Cumbria last year and came away from it with a greater appreciation for the work of both the amateur and professional members of the group. We look upon this event as a chance to have the North American Members Group get together and do some walling as well as to promote the craft and membership. We are hopeful that we can encourage membership growth which can only serve to benefit the craft of walling! We will be making every effort possible to come up with free accommodations for visiting wallers, and if not free then inexpensive at worst.

The event will take place roughly as follows: Friday Sept 21st, the visiting instructors from GB will be arriving in Toronto and taken up to the beautiful village of Holstein Ontario. As a cheap plug for the communtiy... as a village of just over 200 folks we host one of the largest rodeos in Canada, as well as the last non mechanized Christmas parade in North America which features horse and sometimes dog drawn carriages in the parade... the members of the town are very involved in the charitable group the Optimist Club which has served as a personal inspiration for me. Saturday Sept 22nd, we will be hosting an authentic Pig Roast and possible corn roast, at my home in Holstein. It is a chance for all visiting wallers to get together, see the area and to get to know each other. All members of the DSWA NA group are invited to attend. And yes of course there will be beer provided... Sunday Sept 23rd, will serve as a recovery day for the visiting members. Monday Sept 24th-27, we will be working on the construction of the building as well as set up for the courses. My past experience in organizing the Blackhouse build taught me that this is really one of the most valuable times in the event. It is a chance for visiting members to work alongside, chat with and to gain in experience from not only the guest

wallers but from each other. We will be looking at setting up bbq's/lunches during the week and possibly a day for travel to visit some local walls. Friday Sept 28, will be the day for registration as well as further work on the Stable. That evening we will be holding a dinner for members on site and then a round of presentations from the guests. These talks will include a presentation from our own Jared Flynn on the efforts of the StoneTrust in Vermont. We felt it very important to include some discussion of their efforts as they have of late been the leaders in creating a charitable group designed primarily to promote walling and the DSWA in America. Saturday Sept 29, the event will begin at 8 am. Final registration will take place and the courses and building will begin at 9am until sometime around 4-5pm. Lunches are provided for wallers, as well as a dinner afterwards. We are hoping to have a beer tent set up and some live music that night as well. Sunday Sept 30, day two of the courses will take place and hopefully the completion of the Stable. Monday Oct. 1st, will be a chance for those interested in gaining further certification. With so many examiners on hand it is a rare opportunity in Canada not to mention North America for interested wallers to take part.

All during this event there will also be on hand numerous affiliated artisans and craftsmen presenting their skills as well as associated vendors with booths. We are working closely with the community in Hanover to create an event that will draw interested crowds. We are hoping for the chance to host school visits and to involve local charities. If anyone has any questions or considerations please don't hesitate to forward them on to me. I can be reached at [email protected] and would be more than happy to pass along information. There should be considerable interest in wallers looking to help out on the Stable so those interested should contact me sooner rather than later to secure a spot. If there turns out to be numerous wallers looking to help build then perhaps some can help to work with the instructors on the walls and educating the students. There is no shortage of walling projects to be involved with that weekend! We are very hopeful that the members of the North American Group will see this as a tremendous opportunity to get together and share their experience. I am personally hopeful that this will serve as an inaugural event and future events can be held across North America promoting the goals of our Group. As an aside I think it important to mention, that this event is not a Dean McLellan promotion. I am thankful for the chance to help organize the event and it is the efforts of very many folks that are making this possible. We are reliant upon the support and participation of the NA Group to make this happen. I am very grateful for the wisdom and experience that has been so graciously passed along to me from members of the DSWA and I look at this as a way to return the favour and to drum up support for our Group here.

Dean [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]





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! The community of dry stone wallers living and working in North America is certainly growing, but at this point in time, the majority of our population resides in the eastern region of the continent. This is primarily due to the walling heritages that have remained prominent in areas like New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, a history that has helped produce and maintain a multitude of dry stone enthusiasts in those areas. As our craft continues to establish roots throughout North America, there unfortunately remains a noticeable difference between regions regarding the general education and awareness of the public regarding dry stone walling. Not only do wallers working outside of the East Coast have to

compete with other contractors for their work, they’re also up against the challenge of not having any form of regional walling heritage to rely on when educating potential clients. With such a difficult road ahead of them, there’s no coincidence that walling professionals in this situation are few and very far between. This truth is glaringly obvious along the West Coast of the United States, a reality I personally encountered when I decided to move away from my home in Maine a few years ago. As I discovered early on in my journey West, the stone is certainly abundant, but the hands and hammers are few and far between.

! Just over five years ago I tossed my tools in the back of a van, hugged good-bye to my family and friends and ventured westward. For the three years prior to that I had been working as a stone mason in Southern Maine for my brother, Brian. Through his guidance, I learned multiple facets of the trade. We worked on projects in virtually every style of stone masonry, though both of us embraced an early kinship with dry stone walling. In that brief time working for Brian I developed confidence in my skills and, as he began to ask more out of me, I began to demand more of myself. For me, that meant I had to build my own name, through my own work. With that realization I made my decision to head west, unwittingly positioning myself in a land of dry stone anonymity. Traditional dry stone walling was, and still is, sparse where I first landed (Santa Cruz, California), primarily due to the unwarranted concern that any magnitude of earthquake will ruin these types of walls. Without any hint of regional tradition or walling education, I knew I would be in for a long struggle trying to get my business off the ground.! With nothing more than the DSWA’s Overseas Register as my main reference, I as aware prior to moving that there were no certified wallers in the State of California. In fact, the closest waller I knew of at the time was Alan Ash, and he lived over 10 hours north in Eugene, Oregon. Various internet searches also provided no evidence of like-minded stone masons in the area and, at that time social networking was still in its formative stages, so I found myself without any fellow craftsmen to lend a helping hand or give me any type of advice. Despite these obstacles, I was able to find relative success as a stone mason. I even had the opportunity to impress upon a client the value of dry stone walls, building a series of retaining walls to terrace her mountainside backyard. Although I lived in Santa Cruz for only a year, my decision to move was unrelated to my work and if I had stayed, I feel confident that I would have been able to establish at least the beginnings of a community in the area.! I have since moved to the Pacific Northwest, having lived in Bend, Oregon for over 4 years now. In terms

The West in StoneJeff Fairfield


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of supply and potential, Central Oregon could easily provide years of endless walling. The area is home to literally thousands of acres of lava rock, but unfortunately, the local economy has been shattered by the recent recession and the building trades have taken quite possibly the hardest hit. Thankfully, my move to Oregon brought me closer to Alan Ash, a Level 2 Certified/Level 1 Instructor with the DSWA, and I have had the good fortune of building a solid connection with him in these past few years.! Alan has lived and worked in Eugene for the past 14 years, having moved to the area from the mountains of West Virginia. A little more than a decade ago he began working with dry stone walls, parlaying his countless years of wet masonry experience, a trade he learned in West Virginia, into a new avenue for his already successful company. In the years since, Alan has honed his walling skills in Oregon while having had to fly cross-country to achieve his Level 2 certification in Vermont. He has made significant sacrifices in order to better himself as a waller, even traveling to England years ago to become (at the time) one of only a few Certified Instructors in North America. Through all of his efforts, Alan has maintained a high level of success with his walling work and has also established a consistent and growing schedule of dry stone walling workshops in and around the Eugene area. His masonry and walling work even earned the attention of the State of Oregon, landing him multiple projects for the State Parks Department building and repairing stone walls in various parks throughout Oregon. Alan has also had the presence of mind to expand interest in his workshops by inviting some of the top wallers in the world, including Sean Adcock,

Nick Aitken, Michael Weitzner and Dave Goulder, to lead walling classes and presentations. Late last winter I had the fortune of attending one of Alan’s workshops, where not only was I fortunate to meet Sean for the first time, I was also introduced to Russ Beardsley.! Russ runs a successful landscape company called Borrowed Ground in Bellingham, Washington. Although he will tell you he never sought out to specifically start a dry stone walling business, his desire to provide clients with the utmost in quality inherently steered him to the trade. He has incorporated his countless years of experience working in large scale public art with an innate understanding of the sculptural aspects within dry stone walling to develop a top notch product. He has spent the past 5 years educating himself on all aspects of dry stone walling; attending every workshop, class, festival and certification test he can afford to. Through his persistence, Russ has earned the opportunity to assist Patrick McAfee over the past four years with his walling courses at the Marenakos Stone Fest, a festival held annually in Preston, Washington. Though his journey in dry stone has been brief, Russ has proven that neither long-standing local heritage nor a prominent walling community are absolute necessities when establishing a dry stone walling business. Sharing in Russ’ efforts in Washington is long-time stone mason and waller Cameron Scott, a Texas transplant who has been working in the Seattle area since 1993.! Cameron landed in Seattle via the Virgin Islands (St. John, specifically) in the early 90’s with a background in high-end, quality stonework. His initial reaction to the stone trades in the Northwest was one of shock, noting that Seattle was

Photo- Russ Beardsley


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“timber country”, which is a nod to the more refined woodwork that has dominated the region’s architectural style. Despite his underwhelming review of the hardscape community he had encountered, Cameron set out to provide his fledgling clientele base with an honest, top quality product. He was also determined to help educate his local community on proper stonework techniques, and over his career has assisted Patrick McAfee at the Marenakos Stone Fest numerous times, acting as Co-Instructor in the festival’s dry stone walling workshops for the past few years. Like Russ and Alan, Cameron

has dedicated a substantial amount of his career traveling, working with and learning from some of the best in the craft, all with the intent of honing his skills and educating his own community through these experiences. Cameron and Russ have also collaborated on projects and in workshops considerably over the past 5 years, with both craftsmen putting forth their best efforts to educate and promote dry stone walling in the State of Washington. ! Excitement for dry stone walling has also been initiated throughout Western Canada by the efforts of DSWA members Dean McClellan, Sean Donnelly and John

Shaw-Rimmington. Although all three men live and work predominantly in the eastern region of Canada, they have made great strides to educate and promote dry stone walling throughout the entirety of Canada. In all, however, there are truly only a handful of craftsmen and women living on the western part of the continent that have dedicated at least part of their business to practicing and promoting dry stone walling. To paraphrase Sean Adcock, those of us here have the opportunity to create our own tradition, our own regional walling heritage. For professionals like Alan, Russ, Cameron and myself, developing a regional

tradition has involved building our local walling communities from the ground up, literally.! The foundations have been set, so to speak, through the efforts of men like Alan Ash and Cameron Scott and it’s up to those of us living around this region to follow their lead within our own local communities. With the advent and current popularity of social networking sites and blogs, access to other dry stone enthusiasts in and around the Western region of North America has become increasingly easier. Those that once knew little about the various associations supporting and educating proper dry stone walling standards, now have an online community of passionate wallers to communicate with at their fingertips. As with any other growing community, though, it’s not simply enough that we find personal success with our own walling craft. Each and every one of us needs to make a sincere effort promote and educate our respective localities, so as to ensure that the craft of dry stone walling will have the best possible opportunity to grow beyond our careers.!

Jeff Fairfield


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My dry stone walling experience started when I was a young apprentice of 16 years of age working on a farm in the Scottish borders which seems to be a long long time ago now. I was asked to work with a local Dry Stone Mason that had been working in stone work for more than 50 years and his father before him. Charlie Jardine was my mentor who was very strict indeed and was renowned to have built 76 miles of Dry Stone walls in his working career. Stone Work for me started as part of the farm job but it developed in to a hobby that eventually grew out of control. It was inevitable that I started working full time in stone work now in my local area of Edinburgh. As time progressed, I started working farther and farther away from my local base to the extent that I had traveled toall the far corners of Scotland teaching and undertaking major dry stone projects including certification for the DSWA. My reputation and quality of workmanship introduced me to International travel, working in Switzerland, Australia, Montreal, Nova Scotia and Seattle. It was during my trip to Seattle that Jane Wooley from the Dry Stone Conservancy heard that I was on American soil and asked if I

would be interested in working in Washington DC on a Consultancy project on my way back to Edinburgh. Of course, there was no hesitation on my part and I took on the challenge. Little did I know at this time, that only months later I would be asked if I would like a full time position with the Dry Stone Conservancy ( DSC ) as their Training Program Manager.

My position started Training 25 masons on a 2 mile section of Historic Kentucky road way. This was a daunting thought when on day one you can’t see the end of the project and that the end of the project was 2 years away, now that’s what I call job security. Now ten years later I do believe that this opportunity working with the Dry Stone Conservancy has been an incredible experience for me. This would have not been possible with out the help and support of

Jane. I have learned so much from Jane as her position as the Restoration Program Manager and as a Registered Landscape Architect. During this time, I have traveled to 36 United States and enjoyed Training and passing on my knowledge to over 4,310 trainees. A look at our website, www.drystone.org, can highlight the scale of projects that we have accomplished

DSWA MEMBER NEIL RIPPINGALE - 25 YEARS OF TEACHING DRY STONE

With a career in dry stone walling stretching across 5 different decades, Neil Rippingale has made major contributions to the craft. As an apprentice in the 70’s, contractor in the 80’s, helping to steer and shape the DSWA in the 90’s, and as a training program manager at the DSC since 2001, Neil has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments. Among the many awards Neil has received are a 1994 pinnacle award for “Blackhouse”, a participant and contractor on the 1993 Pinnacle award-winning Newpark Roundabout, 2 first place awards, (1992,1994), in the Central Scotland Walling Competition, 2000 Sir Robert Grieve Award, 2001 Civic Trust Award and the City of Edinburgh Architectural Award, 2010 recipient of Preservation Trades Network Askins Achievement Award for advancing the trades and too many more to list. Neil has travelled to 30 different countries, worked in 36 different States in the US, worked with personnel from 29 US National Parks Services at 11 different sites, Examined 170 candidates for the DSWA GB, Examined 100 candidates for the DSC USA, and Trained 4,310 trainees within the last 25 years of teaching! - MC


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since the conception of the DSC in 1996. The DSC is unique in the Trades industry that we pay Trainees while working on construction projects as part of their professional development. One of the highlights of our year, is our Annual Dry Stone Walling Competition held near Lexington, Kentucky. It is amazing how far competitors travel just to compete and show of their skills. It has been known to have competitors traveling from 12 different states and their accumulative mileage to and from the competition to be 35,000 miles. I have advocated every year for the Competition to invite a DSWA Master Craftsman / Examiner to be part of the event so that the competitors can receive a range of experiences other than my own. A workshop prior to the competition allows possible competitors to get familiar with the local stone and masons hoping to attend the certification day after the competition to work on special features. With 38 competitors attending, our format and organization before and after the event is planned like a military exercise. Our plans for the future is to offer a Scholarship Apprentice Award which will allow one or more apprentices to travel from any part of the United States of America to visit Kentucky and be part of the Certification, Competition and Training process. All expenses will be paid as part of the Scholarship Award. Michael Murphy, Dale Mitchell and myself, all members of the DSWA NA have started the ball rolling with quite a considerable amount of funds received to date and funds promised.

We feel for the interests of the craft and to encourage young people in to the industry that this opportunity is long over due. Anybody interested in contributing to this Award should contact myself or directly with Dale or Michael for more information.

If it’s Stone give me a phone, I do believe with all the technology these days that I am still in the stone age along with many other inspiring stone masons world wide.

Neil Rippingale

Neil Rippingale, Cont-


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DSWA MEMBER JOHN SHAW RIMMINGTON’S DRY STONE WALLING ACROSS CANADA

! The Dry Stone Wall Association of Canada was formed in 2001 to bring the subject to the attention of the Canadian public, as well as to act as a resource for the public and working masons — there were no known dry stone wallers in Canada at the time. The organization was launched with the full knowledge and encouragement of then DSWA chair, Paul Webbley. From the start, we have offered beginner level seminars (modeled after the British seminars) and run demonstrations at public events as well as given talks to garden and historic groups to foster yet more interest and awareness. Since the first workshop held in 2002, DSWAC has run over 120 hands-on courses on private properties as well as provincial and national parks, for schools and for federal agencies. Seminars and workshops have been held in Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and British Columbia. Money raised from these seminars is used to offset annual expenses: website, technical support and associated fees, printing, etc. and individual course costs: including teaching fees, accommodation, etc. All seminars and public events are archived on the main website by year and date.

We have worked extensively with local groups to protect and preserve existing historic walls and offer support to anyone so interested. In addition, an on-going archive of new and historic walls is maintained on the DSWAC website.We also offer a list of

working wallers (with permission) and quarries where appropriate materials are available to the public and field many email inquiries ranging from contractor recommendations to complex technical issues. Beginning in 2004, DSWAC has run an annual festival on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in early October. This free public event features four principal elements: - DSWA guest wallers are sponsored to attend the festival to meet and work with Canadian dry stone wallers and the public. Evening presentations are held to further familiarize those in attendance with the work of the

individual guests. We have welcomed a quite a number of prominent Advanced and Master Level craftsmen to our festivals (British, American, Swiss) - a professional group project build during the weekend, normally headed up by one or more Master Level

DSWA members - beginner seminar(s) taught by the international guests - formal DSWA (UK) certification tests arranged and run by the British organization. Testing has been offered most years at Initial and Intermediate Levels. To the best of our knowledge these are the only DSWA tests ever offered in Canada. Every country has its own unique challenges. In our case, there was no existing dry stone organization though there were a number of poorly maintained walls in different places. Early walls reflect diverse

cultural influences from early settlers and while we continue to actively promoted the English/Scottish/Irish traditional styles, we feel it is important to also reference other European national practices, in particular the French Canadian work in the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Manitoba. While less tangible, an important aspect of our work has been to build a network of working wallers across Canada. With that goal in mind, the annual festivals are designed to be fun, a sort of working party celebrating the end of the building season in North America. We put a lot of energy into providing food, music and running children's events. We set aside four days and provide all the material to allow time to build something unique and also allow friendships to develop and differing skills and techniques to be appreciated and discussed over the weekends. Our relationship with the British charity DSWA has always been cordial but is not, nor has it ever been implied, that there is any formal link between the two groups. To further clarify this point, Dry Stone Wall Association of Canada became Dry Stone Walling Across Canada in March 2011, though we retain the legal right to the previous name with the Canadian government for obvious reasons. Currently, the legal and financial responsibility for DSWAC rests with John Shaw-Rimmington but decisions are made with consultation with Eric Landman, Mark Lewis and Evan Oxland (Ontario), Christopher Barclay (British Columbia) and Kenny Tuach (Newfoundland). A working group is currently meeting to develop by-laws toward DSWAC becoming a registered Canadian Not-For-Profit organization

John Shaw-Rimmington


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I think we would all agree, in a catastrophic event, the things that we hold dear, that we consider valuable, are the things we would try and save. As we are all, or will be, a part of history, the more we can make history a part of us, the better chance there is, of that history being preserved. After all, who among us could not imagine the characters and personalities that have taken shelter in this Stagecoach halt, that have

climbed these steps, which have stood the test of time and have become a part of history. Or imagine the farmer returning from a long ride from the market to hitch his horse to this post before enjoying a cool glass of homemade cider.

Or imagine the stories told by the Charcoalmen who sat around this hearth,

keeping vigil as their woodpile slowly turned to charcoal. Now, it is incumbent upon us to continue this tradition, to preserve our craft of Dry laid stone construction, for future generations to wonder, conjecture and speculate, and how better to preserve this craft than through the tried and tested methods laid down by the DSWA, by example, by instruction, oral and manual and with enthusiasm.

-Andrew Pighills

DSWA North American Members Group

February 2012 Newsletter

Contributors:

Jeff FairfieldDean Mclellan

Andrew PighillsJared Flynn

Peter WelchNeil Rippingale

John Shaw-RimmingtonMatt Carter

*The contents a re not copyrighted and recipients may print the newsletter at will.

namg newsletter - feb 2012

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