Windle Road Toy Fence

Robert (Rob) Skele was a member of the Australian Air Force and was transferred to Qld from Victoria where he met his wife, Carol. They eventually settled at Blacksoil where they resided for 38 years and had five children.

For the last 6 years they have lived in Windle Rd Brassall. Rob became known by the locals as the man on the tricycle as he pedalled around the local streets collecting tin cans and bottles from homes for his grandchildren. Rob is now in very poor health and has retired his beloved tricycle.

In 2020 during a Covid 19 lockdown Rob saw an overseas news story on TV where people were placing teddy bears and other toys in the windows of their homes.  He decided he could do a more appropriate Australian version to help lift the spirit of the community in his area. He decided that he would place some of their children’s old stuffed toys on to the 750 metre rural post and wire fence across the road from his home.  He also made signs up with a funny quote on each toy such as a lion with  “not lion to you” and a bear holding a footy  ‘up there bearzaly”.

Rob and Carol recalled on one holiday when they were in Western Australia, they saw Gnomeville in Ferguson Valley.    It started   with a few gnomes on a roundabout to let the community know it was near a school bus stop and there were lots of children in the area to drive safely.  It now has more than a thousand gnomes along the street and in the nearby bush areas, which inspired Rob’s toy fence idea even more.  

The community quickly picked up on Rob’s toy fence and started to provide stuffed toys for him to place on the fence.  As his health further deteriorated the community started placing the toys on the fence for him.  Rob has received fluffy toys from the Salvation Army that cannot be sold and from parishioners of St Joseph Brassall.  Rob said a few toys have ‘walked off the fence ’and he just hopes they found a good home.

Rob takes great delight in seeing the children and families pulling up in their cars, walking along fence smiling and laughing as they read the signs and the local kids yelling out to each other “the trike man’s fence as they go pass”.

Rob and Carol both feel honoured that the toy fence will now always be remembered in council’s history records. He never expected the toys on the fence idea to grow so big and be so loved by the community.