Steven and Sheryn Clothier, with Spence their house lamb. Photo: Lisa Thompson
Steven's first corrugated creation the famous dog, which now houses the local information centre. Photo: Lisa Thompson
When Henry Clothier wanted to rejuvenate the public toilets in the small South Waikato town of Tirau, he knew just the man for the job – his son Steven.
That’s because no-one else wanted to tackle Henry’s vision of building a huge corrugated dog to accompany the town’s already existing sheep-shaped wool shop.
While Steve was initially reluctant to take on the job, his wife Sheryn says it proved “character building” for the mechanic-turned-handyman.
“Everyone in the community really pitched in…they were all in there painting…and of course, they all had an opinion,” she says laughing.
“He was told that was too far forward, too far down, too far up, too far backwards! He didn’t lack for feedback.”
Steven's Corrugated Creations colleague Russell, putting the final touches on a shag for Sheryn's parents. Photo: Lisa Thompson
However, 16 years later and Tirau’s corrugated dog is standing strong on State Highway One and has become a local landmark.
Since then, orders for Steve and Sheryn’s corrugated creations have poured in from not just New Zealand, but across the globe.
And if that doesn’t keep them busy enough, Steve also supplies recycled parts from around 100 classic Mercedes Benz cars he keeps on the couple’s property, whilst Sheryn runs courses on how to successfully create and run sustainable lifestyle blocks.
Join Spectrum’s Lisa Thompson as she meets the couple behind Tirau’s tin-turnaround.
