Joe Timberey is known to many as the Grandfather of modern boomerangs. Born almost a century ago in Australia, Joe is responsible for helping popularize and spread boomerangs throughout the world. Joe grew up in an Australian suburb known as La Parouse, which is located above the shores of Frenchman's Bay. He learned to shape and throw boomerangs as a kid, under the direction of an aboriginal known as Ned Hosking, who was regarded as the best boomerang thrower of the area in the 1920's.
The post WWI era was very important to the growth of boomerangs as most of the tourists that came to Australia at this time were introduced to boomerang throwing through fairs and booths that were set up to demonstrate the amazing returning stick. However, following the Great Depression, the tourist market soon dried up and the boomerang fairs were no longer put on. In order to support himself Joe made trips up the coast to Queensland, over 1000km away selling boomerangs he made from a sack. Joe continued to sell boomerangs through out the depression, and soon was married with children of his own. Joe taught his kids to throw and shape boomerangs, and his sons soon became very skilled throwers while his daughters decorated the boomerangs the Timberey's made.
In the early 1950's Joe met Duncan Maclennan and the two eventually formed a lifelong friendship and partnership. Duncan sold Joe's boomerangs at his bath houses and eventually at his World famous boomerang school in Kings Cross, which is still in operation today. One day an American visitor came to Duncan's shop with a boomerang he had bought in the 1930's. He asked Duncan if he knew who hade made the boomerang, as it was the finest boomerang he had even seen. It was a Joe Timberey boomerang, and Joe and the visitor were soon introduced. It turned out that the visiting American was John Gerrish, one of the founders of boomerang throwing in the USA. In 1954 Joe was asked to throw his boomerangs during a celebration for the visiting Queen of England. Joe's first throw went over 50 meters and as the boomerang approached during its return, Joe laid on his back and caught the boomerang with his feet. Joe then threw 10 boomerangs back to back, the last one being thrown as the 1st landed at his feet, and caught them all in succession successfully.
Joe was regarded by those who knew him as not only the best boomerang maker and thrower, but also one of the nicest people to know. Many of Joe's boomerangs have ended up in the Smithsonian Museum. Joe Timberey is heavily responsible for spreading modern boomerangs to the rest of the world, and could be one of the earliest developers of the Trick Catch.
