Blue Gum & the Christmas Day, Tornado: The Story Behind the Timber

Every Piece of Timber Has a Story. This One Has a Cyclone.

On the evening of December 25, 2023, a ferocious supercell storm system swept across Southeast Queensland, targeting the Scenic Rim and Logan regions with destructive, tornado-strength intensity.

Rather than a slow-moving tropical cyclone, Cedar Grove was hit by an explosive severe thunderstorm producing localized tornadic wind gusts that exceeded 160 to 200 km/h. The sudden storm turned a peaceful Christmas night into one of the most frightening weather events in the region’s history.

Among the casualties were stands of mature Blue Gum — Eucalyptus saligna — trees that had taken decades to reach their full size. Rather than let that timber go to waste, salvage operators moved in after the storm to recover what they could (e.g. my mate with a bansal mill.) The result is a small, finite supply of timber with genuine provenance: wood that was standing in a Queensland forest before the cyclone, and is now being turned into objects built to last another lifetime.

What Is Blue Gum?

Blue Gum is one of Australia's most recognisable eucalyptus species. It grows naturally along the east coast, from Victoria through New South Wales and into Queensland, and has been prized by woodworkers for generations. The timber is hard, dense, and fine-grained, with a colour that ranges from pale straw to a warm honey-gold, often with subtle pink and red tones running through the grain.

It's a timber that rewards close attention. Under a finish, the grain comes alive — and no two pieces are alike. That's part of what makes it such a compelling choice for a handcrafted pen.

Why Salvaged Timber?

Working with salvaged timber isn't just an environmental choice — though it is that. It's also a way of working with wood that has a story already attached to it. Plantation timber is consistent and predictable. Salvaged timber is neither of those things, and that's precisely the point.

Each piece of cyclone-salvaged Blue Gum carries the character of the tree it came from: the way it grew, the conditions it weathered, the grain patterns that formed over decades. When I turn a pen from this timber, I'm working with something that can't be replicated. Once this supply is gone, it's gone.

The Pen

The Blue Gum Cyclone-Salvaged Slimline Pen is turned from this timber on a lathe, finished by hand, and fitted with a Parker-compatible refill. It's a pen for someone who wants to carry a piece of Australian natural history in their pocket — and who appreciates that the best objects have a story worth telling.

If you'd like to keep a supply of refills on hand, the Infinite Reserve Refill Pack is designed to pair with it.

A Finite Resource

I want to be honest about something: this timber is not unlimited. When the salvaged Blue Gum is gone, I won't be able to source more with the same provenance. If you've been considering one of these pens, that's worth keeping in mind.