ANCIENT CRAFT BRINGS NEW LIFE
The descendants of George Hattersley of Keighley, in England, might have had Rod McLean of Oamaru in mind when they developed the Hattersley Domestic Weaving System in the late 19th century.
Hattersley looms, as they became known, became especially popular in the UK after World War I when servicemen returned shell shocked and otherwise disabled. This domestic weaving system allowed them to earn a living at home without having to work in the fraught environment of mills and factories. The Hattersley looms were, and still are, also used to weave the original Harris tweed.
Rod suffered a trauma that affected him in a way that was similar to the WW1 soldiers’ shell shock. He
