Col Hosie and Pam Corrigan bought the Gifkins Dovetail patent and business from its inventor Roger Gifkins, in July 2011.
Col was an early convert to the Gifkins jig and realised that it was a game changer for box makers. The jig has opened the world of box making to thousands of woodworkers worldwide.
Early years
Col Hosie started his career as an apprentice panel beater and spray painter in Canberra, eventually purchasing a panel shop. He developed an interest in wood turning and so attended several courses to extend his wood working skills. In no time, he was selling his work to galleries, and teaching wood turning and small joinery.
His natural ability as a teacher, and his easy-going nature, was spotted by an industrial arts teacher from St Francis Xavier College in Canberra. Within a month Col had sold the panel shop and was standing in front of a class!
He had a twenty-five year career in teaching. During this time Col took commissions for furniture, held wood turning classes in his workshop, and sold his work to local and regional galleries.
Pam’s early career started in retail and administration, followed by an interesting period in health, welfare and education. The latter part of her career was in the service of Parliamentary Senate Committees. Here she refined her public relations, organisational and administrative skills.
The business
Col and Pam had a steep learning curve when they purchased Gifkins Dovetail. They faced the challenge of moving to Coffs Harbour—and at the same time—learning how to run a small, but complex, business.
Pam runs the company, Col Hosie Woodturner Pty Ltd, which involves promoting and managing the business through a range of administrative and organising tasks. She enjoys designing and organising advertising, maintaining the website, and designing and publishing business promotions material. Pam enjoys the diverse nature of Gifkins Dovetail—always something new to do, interesting people to meet—and the challenge of running a small business.
Col manufactures jig and template components, router tables and box making accessories. He also conducts customised box making courses in their workshop in Coffs Harbour. When possible, he even finds time to develop new designs that extend the use of the jig itself. He has a growing reputation as an expert box maker and continues to sell his boxes through select galleries and via the Gifkins secure website (https://gifkins.com.au).
Pam and Col are a tight team who work well together, and who are passionate about their products. From July 2011 to November 2019, they promoted the advantages of the jig by attending wood shows throughout Australia.
In November 2020, Gifkins started streaming on YouTube to promote the benefits of the jig, and to make box making accessible to everyone. They enjoy interacting with viewers every Sunday—and they keep it real. If Col has a misstep, or the camera is out of focus…they keep going!
Col and Pam are the Gifkins jig experts who place importance on their customers’ needs by providing after-sales service and advice.