George Lewin's Rainforest Connection
For 25 years, Australian inventor and philanthropist George Lewin has quietly supported rainforest conservation through his commitment to several charities, largely following the career of Kelvin Davies, the Founder of Gondwana Rainforest Trust. But for George, this support is not simply financial; it reflects a deeper, lifelong connection to timber, craftsmanship, and the natural world.
George Lewin with a Red Cedar tree.
George’s journey began with a passion for woodworking. While working as a TV journalist for ABC News in Melbourne, he took up woodwork as a hobby. But frustrated by the limitations of existing tools, he invented the Triton Workcentre in 1976. It was a breakthrough that helped transform DIY woodworking in Australia and many other countries, with millions of Triton products developed and sold internationally. What started as a practical solution for one craftsman evolved into a globally recognised system, enabling woodworkers to safely use their power tools in new and creative ways.
The Triton Workcentre invented by George Lewin.
Yet business success did not mark the end of George’s story with wood!
In recent years, after selling his business, George refined his craft through training and mentorship under Geoff Hannah, one of Australia’s most respected cabinetmakers and artists. Renowned for his intricate, European-style furniture, Geoff’s influence has helped elevate George’s work into the realm of fine craftsmanship, where precision, patience and respect for materials are paramount.
This enduring love of timber has naturally extended into George’s environmental vision.
Through his long-standing support of the Gondwana Rainforest Trust, the George Lewin Foundation has contributed to the protection and restoration of some of Australia’s most precious ecosystems, particularly in northern New South Wales. For him, the connection is clear: the same rainforests that inspire fine furniture are the ones that must be protected for future generations.
That philosophy has taken root in a very tangible way.
Over the past 2 ½ years, George has been actively planting rainforest trees, particularly cabinet timbers, on his 45-hectare property in the Byron Bay hinterland, a property that has been designated a plantation zone. He has so far planted 8,000 cabinet timber trees – cedars, teaks, silky oaks, hoop pines to name a few - in a forward-thinking initiative designed to provide a sustainable source of timber for the future, while easing pressure on native forests.
George Lewin and some of his 8,000 trees.
It’s a powerful example of alignment between passion, profession and purpose.
From the invention of a workbench to the regeneration of rainforest, George Lewin’s story is one of continuity, a life shaped by timber, and a legacy dedicated to ensuring forests continue to thrive.