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Friday, February 15, 2019 5Brooklin Town Crier "Wooden It Be Nice": A Child's Passion Becomes Valued Pastime By Richard Bercuson One of Scott Bennett's earliest memories going back to his childhood in the east Ottawa suburb of Blackburn Hamlet is of the bed is father constructed for him. While his dad dabbled in woodwork, Scott adopted the hobby almost immediately. Today, this Brooklin resident has a Youtube channel with over 10,000 subscribers and a million views and will be a presenter at the GTA Home and Reno Show on Monday, Feb. 18. His topic at 3 pm will be "Woodworking advice for Home Improvement Projects." He took woodworking while attending high school at Anderson and from that won both Durham and Ontario Skills Canada competitions. That led to his representing Canada at the U.S. Skills Olympics. One of his teachers suggested strongly that, unless he wanted to live on the poverty line, it'd be best to have a full time occupation and do the woodworking on the side, advice he's listened to. "I always wanted to push the limit of my skills," he recalls. So when he went to a college program to enhance them, the professor told him he could probably teach the course as his skills were that good. In recent years, Bennett has taken up the mantle, so to speak, of doing furniture repairs, an unheralded field since much of what we buy is imported from other countries, especially Third World ones. "It may be cheaper to buy the furniture but eventually everything breaks down and needs repair. That's where my focus is mostly." The business has matured and he's partnered with a Brooklin upholsterer, Cummins Custom Upholstery. As for his youtube success, that was somewhat of an accident. "I created a couple of videos and people liked it. I got a lot of positive feedback. I wanted to create content that was helpful, not to show off or entertain." A fellow who admits he has a hard time sitting still, Bennett says the woodworking is a terrific stress reliever. He works out at a gym, but nothing replaces the time spent creating and fixing. "In my house, I've built bookshelves and my kids' beds. I wanted them to have what my father gave me." Still, going into people's homes is not something he cares to do. It makes him uncomfortable to the point he just won't do it. He'd much rather work out of his own shop. Well, that and show viewers online just how he does what he does. Scott Bennett's web sites: WoodenItBeNice.ca HomeImprovementWoodworking.com Tel. 905-655-0935 Local Student Heading To Miss Teen Canada Pageant Maya Elliott, a grade 10 BHS student, participated recently in the Miss Teenage Ontario Pageant, a qualifier for the National Miss Teenage Canada Pageant which will take place in August in the GTA. Competing against 23 other teens from across the province, she was crowned that night and given the chance to represent her region (Whitby). The pageant took place over the Jan. 26-27 weekend in Markham. Along with the other participants, she rehearsed choreography for the show and then competed in various events such as the evening gown, the swimsuit and the interview competitions. Her gorgeous evening gown was custom designed by Swati Kalra, the owner of the "House of Kalra" store in Ajax. Swati also sponsored the jewelry Maya wore with the gown. Her hair and makeup were done through a sponsor, Kokela, owner of Step ad Styles Boutique in Scarborough. Each contestant was asked to create a platform that they would support during their reign. Maya chose to raise awareness and funds for AVM (ArterialVenous Mal format ion / Pediatric Stroke) and ALS (Amylotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), diseases that have both affected her family.