John GrahamThe Hahndorf Leather Shop and Bush Gallery displays a selection of quality hand made Australia leathergoods.  Stock extends from oilskin coats & vests, wallets, purses, belts, hats, suede goods, whips and much more.  All goods are made from various animal leathers - from cow, to kangaroo and crocodile.

Master craftsman and leathersmith, John Graham has been in the leather-work trade for 40 years.

John manufactures quality leather goods from the best Australian hides:  whether it is guitar straps for the Jackson 5 and Billy Thorpe in Melbourne in the 1970s, or belts for Premiers and State MPs, or saddlebags for motorcyclists.

For over 26 years John has manufactured and sold his leatherwork from his Leather Shop and Bush Gallery in Hahndorf.  The building, which John purchased, was once the Australian Arms Hotel, built by Germans in 1852.  The Leather Shop has become an icon of Hahndorf, entertaining visitors from all over the world.  The shop is unique in its atmosphere and there is complimentary port and a friendly smile awaiting those who venture inside.

John Graham runs the business with his wife Jenny. They are assisted by their three children, leathersmith apprentice Sam, and even the family dog loves to come to work and can often be seen tied to the dog hitching rail out the front.  Quietly so successful amongst the famous and the tourists - they just keep coming back -  keep on keeping on John!

Note:  Unfortunately, John Graham passed away on 2 July 2013, however the business continues to operate under a small team providing the traditional skills.

Craftsman and Hospitable Host

Obituary - John Graham,  October 14, 1947 - July 2, 2013    (Extract from 'The Courier'  Wednesday July 24, 2013)

Weeks after the death of Hahndorf businessman John Graham, locals are still popping into his Leathersmith and Bush Gallery on Main Street to tell his family how much they miss the larger than life character.

His wife Jenny said the steady stream of well-wishers were a testament to the way her funny and generous husband had become a part of the fabric of Hahndorf over the past 30 years.  "He presented his products in an atmosphere of hospitality and welcome within the mud and straw walls of the original 160-year-old Australian Arms Hotel" she said.  "John was the host - offering a warm fire, a glass of port and perhaps a joke, skills he learnt while growing up in a hotel in the middle of Melbourne.  He liked to bring a smile to people's faces which he achieved in many ways from a good joke to live music on the shop porch or a crack of his stock whip."

He was even known to use his stock whip to "round up the tourists" at times and there were stories about him bringing camels and snakes into the front bar of the Hahndorf Inn across the road to "stir things up" and the New Year's Eve he painted a pedestrian crossing between his shop and the pub.

Mr Graham was born and raised in Victoria.

Leatherwork  --  Although he was bright, the school system was not for him and he left as soon as he could to do an apprenticeship in industrial engraving.  Later he would develop those skills into leatherwork - a craft in which he became highly proficient.

Mr Graham did a stint in the army where he learned to love cooking.  During his life he worked in pubs and trawled on fishing boats.  He also worked with unemployed and disadvantaged youth throughout regional Victoria, which had a great impact on his life.  Eventually made the decision to make leatherwork his main focus.

He sold his craft on the Esplanade in St Kilda during the 1970's and worked as a craftsman in Perth at one stage.  For years he would pack up his ute and travel the country, selling his wares at markets, the Birdsville races and the Ponde music festival.  At one time he ran his own retail outlets around Melbourne and was known to have held up trams outside his High Street store in Malvern by cracking his stock whip.

Family Home  --  He loved the stock whip but an errant flick was the reason he lost his right eye.  It was a painful time but Mr Graham made his eye patch a personal badge of honor and when he had a glass eye made removing it became a favorite party trick.

Mr Graham came to the Hills in the early 1980's with his wife Jenny.  The couple fell in love with the region and decided to  make it the home where they would raise their family.  They had three children - Emily, Sebastian and Sarah.

The first years at Bridgewater threw up some challenges, with Mr Graham fighting to save the family home from the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfire.  But Mrs Graham said it didn't take long for her husband to win over the residents of Hahndorf with his "hardwork, generous nature and amazing craftmanship." 

She said the Leathersmith and Bush Gallery would continue to operate because her husband had the foresight to train a small team of crafts people - including leathersmiths Sam Trenorden and John's son, Sebastian Graham - to carry on the traditional skills.

Mr Graham died after a year-long battle with cancer.  He is survived by his wife, their children and partners and his grandson Zachary.