Star Wars a career highlight for Warren the puppeteer

Emma Turnbull

When you’re next watching Star Wars – Episode Two: Attack of The Clones keep an eye out for Quarren, played by Bundaberg school teacher Warren Duxbury.

Through a thrilling career as a puppeteer, Warren has worked with George Lucas on Star Wars.

But that's not his only claim to fame, having also rebuilt Australia’s favourite puppet Agro and working with the Henson Muppeteers.

Warren said over the years he had been part of many exciting projects and happened to be “in the right place at the right time” for his involvement in Star Wars.

“I was working at Foxtel when the call came in asking for all the puppeteers to be sent over – well I was the only one there,” Warren said.

“I was under the impression I was going to the set of Moulin Rouge, but to my surprise it was actually for Star Wars!

“Ewan McGregor was the lead for both, so the sets were set up near each.”

Warren steps into various roles on Star Wars set

Warren said originally, he was tasked as only a puppeteer on the set of Star Wars, but when the cast fell short he was asked to step into character and he played both Ketwol and Quarren.

“I played the Quarren Senator's Aide and can be clearly seen clapping after the Supreme Chancellor is given Emergency Powers in the Senate,” he said.

“I actually then got the nickname Warren the Quarren – ha!”

Warren said he was given the role as one of the background directors for Star Wars – Episode Two: Attack of The Clones.

“I was put in charge of various creatures, as were others in the department. I had to give them background direction whilst George Lucas was directing his actors,” he said.

“It was a very surreal feeling to be telling a person in costume what actions they should be doing, while George is only a metre away saying, ‘Now Ewan… I need you to jump from this yellow speeder and run through the crowd in that direction’.

Stars Wars a highlight in long puppeteer career

Warren said working on the Star Wars set had been a major highlight in his career which had come about after many years of dabbling in the art of puppetry.

He said it was serendipitous to end up in situations that entertainment buffs would be envious of.

It all started for Warren in the mid-1990s when he travelled to London to help master his skills working with Henson Muppeteers at Nickelodeon.

“I was a camera operator and on set there was always two puppets along with the human host,” Warren said.

“One day, one of the puppeteers got caught up in the London underground strike and was stuck on the tube for half the day.

“With my puppet experience I had learned how to mimic the voice and movements, so when he couldn’t turn up for the show, I stepped in. I did it all and the guys upstairs didn’t even know.

“I’ve been pretty lucky to stumble into these situations by being at the right place at the right time!”

Nowadays, Warren has switched up most of his puppeteer work to enjoy a simpler life in the local region as a teacher at Bundaberg State High School.

“Star Wars is definitely a highlight for me, and I got to the stage when I didn’t know how I would top that in my career, so I went on to study film and media and became a teacher,” he said.

“There’s no better place than Bargara.

“I love teaching, a lot of my students go off and work the industry and that makes it easy to love doing what I do.”

Warren still lends a hand to help Agro

Although Warren may now seem far, far away from the studio sets in Sydney, he is never out of reach to help his good friend Jamie Dunn and the loveable “bathmat” Agro.

In 2001 Channel Seven Productions enlisted Warren’s puppeteer and puppet builder skills to rebuild Agro, because the original puppet had deteriorated beyond repair.

“I was asked to refurbish Agro by the producer, and the moment she pulled him out of the bag I could see he was really starting to disintegrate,” Warren said.

“He was already about 20 years old and had lived a life of dog mauling to having yoghurt tipped over him – he was battered.

“Because I knew the Hensen stitch technique I was able to not only repair him but make a replicate – which actually lives with me at my home, ready for Jamie to swap over in short notice or when they are here visiting.”

Local the focus at Blessed Café in Moore Park

Ashley Schipper

Using local produce and product in every which way we she can is a main focus for Jennifer Mutich at her new café in Moore Park Beach.

The first-time business owner has just opened Blessed Café at 63 Sylvan Drive and said she was committed to supporting other Bundaberg Region businesses as much as possible.

“I have incorporated a lot of other local businesses within my business,” she said.

“I am trying to get as much local product in store, like local honey, cheese and more.

“We also have plenty of different products and items on display, all made locally, so people can come eat and shop at the same time.

“We try to keep it all as local as possible. I think we all need to support each other, that's the bottom line!”

A former nurse, Jennifer said she had never owned her own business before but was excited to see what the change in career had in store.

She said after seeing the empty space on her routine drives around the beachside suburb, she knew she could make something of the building on Sylvan Drive.

“I live out here at Moore Park Beach and I kept driving past the building and saw it was empty, so I decided to open my own café,” she said.

“I was a nurse prior to this and I was looking for a lifestyle change, and with everything else going on at the moment it seemed like a great thing to do.

“I don't have a background in the industry but my mum was a chef, which has helped, she has given me guidance.”

Jennifer said Blessed Café had hired four employees and was already enjoying plenty of support from locals and visitors alike.

“We have been open for one week and we are seeing plenty of new faces,” she said.

“We cater for breakfast and lunch seven days a week.

“So far, the most popular dish has been the eggs benedict, you just can't go past the sauce!”

Blessed Café is open every day from 6.30 am to 3 pm at 63 Sylvan Drive.

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In Our Garage: Max Scholefield’s 1954 Australian Mainline Ute

Paul Donaldson

Making his living on the land Max Scholefield always dreamed of owning a Mainline ute and after years of hard work it’s now become a reality.

Q. Tell us about your car:

A. This is a 1954 Ford Australian manufactured V8 utility.

It is the very last of the side valve V8 engines made by Henry Ford from 1932 to 1954.

It was very, very sought after by farmers and people that did rural pursuits in those years.

If you wanted a heavy-duty workhorse then this was the thing that you bought.

They were well made for their day.

One bloke had two Mainline Utes and had little crates in the back and put his calves in there, so all the back was knocked around with calves’ hooves.

They were beautifully appointed inside, which was unusual in a work vehicle, and they drove along the road very nicely, so people really loved them for that reason.

Q. Tell us about the car’s history:

A. This particular car was owned by a Jim Murphy, I think, in western New South Wales.

He became ill and they parked the car in a shed with the back sticking out and it remained there for about 35 years.

One of the local scrap merchants said, ‘look, I can take that thing off your hands for $20’ and he then advertised it for $2000.

I needed a project and he said it was a good straight car, so down I went with a trailer and picked it up.

Q. What condition was the car in when you got it?

A. It didn't have a skerrick of paint left on it, you could see that it was green, every part was there, but the rust had formed a film all over the car.

There was a lot of green mould or something growing over the top of the car, which had to be removed, but the car was pretty sound.

It took an awful lot of rubbing down and scrubbing down and I had a sandblaster come in and he sandblasted the car.

We primed it using one of the newer model two pack type primers, and we put the car in an open shed and it sat there for probably 10 years in the prime stage.

I'd say, ‘I'm going to do it up one day’.

The one day came and I pulled it down into a little tin shed and started work on it.

For three years, I scrubbed and bashed and pushed and painted it.

But in that period, the engine had locked up, and it is the original side valve motor.

It has been done up by Dolby engine reconditioning and me, but it runs absolutely perfectly.

It's quite a big motor and they did overheat a bit, but a lot of people got away from that by putting bigger bladed fans on and things like that.

Q. What do you love about the car and what made you want to buy it?

A. I think the reason I would have bought this is because being a farmer all my life, I've known many farmers that have owned these.

All the big boys had these things, and I really wanted one.

Eventually, late in life, I was able to find one and get it on the road, so I was up there with the big boys.

I think it's the joy of actually getting out on the road and seeing people respond, that is absolutely magic.

Everyone smiles, everyone waves.

It's just a marvellous thing to go on the road in a restored veteran, vintage or classic car.

Another really good thing about driving a classic, vintage, veteran car is the fact that there's a lot of camaraderie between people in clubs.

It's really great to be with people that know what you're talking about.