Gnomes to rise from the ashes

NATALIE SLADE/The Dominion Post

NEW BEGINNINGS: Arthur Ray is starting his gnome-making business again after fire ruined his figurines and moulds.

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An octogenarian is determined his garden gnome cottage industry will rise from the ashes after his prized collection of gnomes and figurines went up in smoke in an arson attack.

Arthur Ray, 80, was devastated when the fire gutted a factory in Titoki St, Otaki, leaving his large collection of concrete ornaments, including 456 gnomes, charred and disfigured among the smouldering ashes.

Encouraged by his son and two companies offering some moulds, Mr Ray has decided 80 is not too late to start again.

"I am capable, healthy and fighting fit, why give up and sit down? No, I will keep going and do it again," he said.

The fire destroyed his entire collection of about 460 latex and fibreglass moulds and concrete figurines but, buoyed by his son's advice, he has started cleaning the charred figurines and planned to replace the moulds keeping his techniques under wraps because they are his gnome-making trade secrets.

But starting the project from home was especially daunting without his wife at his side she died three months before the fire.

"We always worked together, we were together for 50 years."

In a lighter vein, he said he was considering sending Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall one of his damaged gnomes to see if he would give him a hand.

"It is not so much repairing the smoke-damaged ones, it is the damaged concrete that will be harder to sort out," he said.

He believed a few could be repaired, including one of his biggest gnomes - a seven-metre carpenter, whose large floppy hat was destroyed in the fire along with a blackened Mary Magdalene, parrots, dragons, frogs, owls, puppies and bears piled up in his backyard.

Mr Ray said the Swedish-German origin of the word "gnome" stood for "gardening naturally over mother earth".

"Each gnome had a name, they were first made to look after all the birds and animals each one had his job."

- © Fairfax NZ News