People and Their Hobbies

Roy Ricketts is not a seaman nor has he ever been a seaman, but his father and uncles were master mariners and it is not surprising, therefore, to find that he has inherited his father's love of the sea. This love in him has found an outlet in his hands which he uses with great skill to fashion fully-rigged sailing ships, paddle steamers, and many other sailing and power driven craft that he has made at his home in Beachville Street. Roy has been making model boats since he was a boy and his trade; that of fitter and turner, was a great aid to him in later life when all the intricate parts for his steam engines had to be made. When we visited his home last month Roy collected many of his models from all parts of his home and we assembled them on a sideboard for the picture above. Several more of his bigger pieces are on display at the rooms of the Nelson Society of Modellers, Tahunanui. In the picture above, Roy is holding a paddle steamer, while on the sideboard there are Viking sailing ships, various steam engines and fully-rigged ships of different centuries, all true to detail. At left, we found Roy in his workshop working on a small lathe. Below left is one of his biggest projects, a traction engine that took him two years of spare time to complete. Below, Roy through the rigging of one of his models.

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