Graham Draper’s Playwell Events will showcase 40 impressive tables of custom-built LEGO models at the Albury Entertainment Centre in September. Photos: Supplied.
More than a million pieces of LEGO will be on display when Graham Draper brings his collection to Albury for an upcoming show sure to inspire all CFOLs, TFOLs and AFOLs.
What’s a CFOL, you ask?
That would be the acronym for Child Fans of LEGO; and along with Teen Fans of LEGO and Adult Fans of LEGO, there’ll be many brick (a single piece of LEGO) lovers lining up to have a gander at around 40 tables of custom-built models at the Albury Entertainment Centre on 28 and 29 September.
This will be the second time Graham has brought the Albury Brick Show to the border and his creations will include themes from Star Wars, architecture and Marvel.
There’ll be plenty of interactive activities, and kids will be invited to take part in the construction of a giant mosaic wall over the weekend.
Graham’s love of LEGO started in the same manner as most – as a child of five or six creating and constructing progressively complex models on the bedroom floor.
“I moved away from it when I was around 16 to concentrate on working and then I had a family and a career,” he said.
“In 2014, my wife bought me a set and I Googled it and thought, ‘Wow’. I didn’t actually realise the whole world of LEGO that was out there, as in exhibitions and dedicated events.”
That one set would eventually inspire a complete change of direction in Graham’s life.
Be inspired by the incredible collection of models on display at the Albury Brick Show. Vendors will be on hand to help you find what you need to build your next creation.
A decade later, the former baker has now swapped making bread for building bricks. He’s embraced the resurgence of Australia’s love for LEGO, which now sees him, and his million or so pieces, travelling all over Victoria and NSW with his business, Playwell Events.
He credits the newfound adoration of LEGO to the first LEGO movie, in 2014, which followed the story of Emmet Brickowski, an ordinary LEGO mini-figure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the LEGO universe.
“The movie was what really got me back into it as well, and that was the first wave for a lot of people, but then in more recent years, Hamish Blake’s LEGO Masters on TV has really brought it to the forefront again.
“During COVID, LEGO was also very popular because you could order it online. People were doing crosswords, jigsaw puzzles and building LEGO, so the resurgence just keeps going from strength to strength.”
Graham’s own collection soon grew and eight years ago, he started holding fundraising shows in his home town of Wollongong. Since that time, he has gone on to raise about $200,000 for local charity Kidzwish and his annual fundraising event is attracting 4000 to 6000 people.
“It was during COVID that I started wondering what I wanted to do and I decided to set up Playwell Events and go full time with the LEGO, so now in addition to the fundraising it’s also how I make my living.”
Playwell is a clever choice for his business name as it is a nod to the word LEGO, derived from the Danish phrase Leg godt, which means ”play well”.
And with the LEGO company now specifically targeting the adult market, Graham reckons it’s a great way for grown-ups to reconnect with a sense of nostalgia many associate with childhood.
Graham rediscovered LEGO after his wife bought him a set in the same year the first LEGO movie was released. He has now turned it into a full-time career.
His displays at the Albury Show, to be held in the Banquet Hall at the Albury Entertainment Centre, will appeal to all ages.
However, don’t expect the complexity that you’ve seen on television screens; Graham’s models are standouts, but purposely more relatable and achievable.
“These ones won’t be to the level of LEGO Masters, mainly because I need to transport it all there but more so because I want them to inspire and not be out of the realms of impossible for kids.
“I want people to connect and think, ‘I’ve got that at home, I’ll be able to do this’.”
After seven or eight hours of setup the day before, Graham will showcase the endless possibilities of LEGO. There’ll be play stations for kids to build their own models, and vendors on hand with products for sale.
“The building of the mosaic wall is always fun and the kids love it,” he said. ”It will consist of about 46,000 individual bricks.
“Sometimes we finish it quite easily and sometimes it’s a mad rush at the end to try and get it finished, but we always manage to get there in the end and everyone loves seeing the final result.”
Entry to the show is $10 a person and tickets can be purchased on Trybooking. You can also follow Playwell Events on Facebook.
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