When Dr Peter J Spafford closed the doors to his GP clinic last year, 'what's next' was far from his mind, but just three months later he has swapped his stethoscope for saws and sandpaper, teaming up with his daughter to take over Gallop Thru Time Framing and Gallery.
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Officially opening the doors last week under the new name Contemplations, Dr Spafford is bracing for a busy year.
"It is something I've always wanted to do," he said.
"I've always had an appreciation of art. I like working with my hands, getting splinters, getting grubby."
Creativity appears to run deep in the family. Over the past year, Dr Spafford has spent countless hours foraging through bushland in and around Katherine on the hunt for unusual pieces of wood to be modeled into sculptures.
It is a hobby which has shifted dramatically with the acquisition of the business.
"For me, working with wood has been the only thing that has kept me going, especially this past year," Dr Spafford said.
"We hope to develop a bit of uniqueness with what we have in [the gallery]."
He says he is not entirely sure what that uniqueness will look like just yet, but the wooden sculptures and jewelry will be taking centre stage.
The father-daughter duo plan to completely revamp the gallery, tucked away from foot traffic on First Street, elevate other Katherine artists and launch exhibitions.
And while it is not the end of a long medical career for Dr Spafford just yet - he has plans to go back to work a couple of days a week -it is the beginning of an entirely new vocation for Tricia Spafford.
With four weeks under the expert eye of her predecessor Peter Farnden, she's been handed a list of 30 framing orders and thrown in the deep end.
"I have an issue with straight lines, so at the beginning making sure everything was 100 per cent level took some getting used to, but I've learned fast," she said.
Ms Spafford has a PhD in medical research, but after eight years at university she realised lab coats were not for her.
Like her father, she says she has always been creative.
"I was coming back up to look after my mum and I had looked at retail jobs, admin, but I wasn't having any luck. Then this fell into our laps.
"I'll be spending a lot of time in the back room. I am actually looking forward to the stability and working on a skill that is interesting and creative after a pretty stressful 2020."
On January 24, after 28 years in the business, Peter and Cathy Farnden announced their retirement.
"We wish to thank the entire Katherine Community for their patronage throughout those years," Mr Farnden said.
"It has been an exceptional journey for us, greeting customers and helping with ideas to assist with the design of each and every frame.
"We will be assisting the new owners through a transition period and then having a well earned break... Retirement."
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