Trevor Mc Feeters - Tenterfield Lures - NSW:
*Banner Image - Early Tenterfield 'Dart' showing belly signature
Legendary lure maker Trevor McFeeters, is another lure maker from Tenterfield, definitely a 'hot spot' of the Australian lure making scene. Trevor's early yellow business cards list his address as 83 Bulwer St and then they are marked as New England Highway North. Cards also list lures as made by T & J Mc Feeters 76 Bulwer St. The last address is his shop address as 194 Rouse St and the cards state 'The Original Tenterfield Lure'. Trevor's lures were plentiful and easy to obtain in their day especially when he had the shop in Rouse Street. Trevor was an amazing lure carver and could turn out at least 20 darts a day while chatting in the doorway. The shop shut in 2002 with Trevor retiring from the lure industry. Trevor in a way was an apprentice lure maker for Peter Newell. Trevor had a wide range of colour combinations and made to order. They have become extremely valuable now and are an in demand lure for collectors. Trevor sadly passed away in July 2023.
The earlier cards shown from a white printed insert that was stapled to bag to the series of yellow business cards and inserts that were either placed into the bag or stapled as a header.
Possibly two of the rarest Mc Feeters Lures are the 'Convict' and the 'Aussie 201'.
** Tenterfield Lures Gift Voucher from the Rouse St address. A rare item indeed. . .
Trevor received a 'Lure of Fame' award in June 2013 to recognise his achievements to the lure making industry.
Extract from article in the Tenterfield Star
June 26, 2013.
'He's a man who has been honoured for his work, but Trevor McFeeters is someone who tends to shy away from the limelight. With a life-long love of fishing, his work in the lure making industry dates back to when he was a child crafting milk bottle caps to snare his fish. It was a passion that grew and has just seen him become the first person welcomed into the lure making industry’s hall of fame.
“Bloody oath - I’m proud to get the award, it’s a once in a lifetime thing,” Mr McFeeters said.
After moving around as a child between Orange, Stanthorpe, Caboolture, and Moree among other places, it wasn’t until 1958 that Trevor came to Tenterfield. He attended Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School as well as Tenterfield High School and after completing his schooling, moved around a little more before settling back in Tenterfield. In his younger days, he worked on a farm belonging to George and Phyllis Manser, worked for a local builder, had a job at the post office and Ross’ Hardware and says kids worked hard in those days.
“I had plenty of different jobs, it’s what you did then. You went out and got a job, you didn’t just sit around,” he said. “There are plenty of jobs around if you look.”
He travelled south for work too. He was employed on prawn trawlers in Ballina and a pub in Sydney before coming back and taking up a position at the Commercial Hotel where he worked for about 20 years. . . Mr McFeeters worked in the meatworks and as a tally clerk for the council too, as well as enjoying metal and woodwork, but his passion has always been fishing and lure making. He has four children - three boys and a girl. In 1987, he was an apprentice alongside another iconic Tenterfield lure maker - Peter Newell - but went on to create his own enterprise. Friends of Mr McFeeters, Debbie and Brian Dare, said the recognition he had received had been greatly deserved.
“It’s a real sign of appreciation for him, I’m sure we’ll see others from Tenterfield recognised as well,” Mrs Dare said.“Tenterfield is a real hub for lure making. “A lot of collectors still appreciate the lures Trevor created.”
The Aussie 200 cod lure and the Tenterfield Dart became iconic in the fishing industry and are still well known nationwide.Mrs Dare said she accepted the award on behalf of Trevor at this year’s Australian Lure Expo at Fernvale.
“They want to recognise the people who have contributed,” she said.“I think it came as a surprise for him.” Mrs Dare says the old Tenterfield lures have made a full revival and now fetched a tidy sum.“The original ones depending on their condition can cost around $150 or more,” she said.“My husband caught 22 cod over the last two years using one of them.”
There have been a number of keen fishers and lure makers develop their talents in Tenterfield and Mr McFeeters has always been generous in sharing his knowledge.
“He’s given guidance to a lot of locals,” Mrs Dare said.
Trevor opened his own shop in town in 1998 but closed it in 2002 due to poor health.
“I can’t do it anymore, a stroke stopped me,” Mr McFeeters said. “I’m disappointed I can’t do it anymore.”
His hall of fame recognition came from a nomination process that included fishing magazine editors selecting the recipient. While he is the first in Australia to receive the award he is humble in his victory.
“There’s no doubt there are others who deserve them [awards] too,” Mr McFeeters said. In all his years out on the lakes, dams and rivers of the country he has clocked up a range of good memories with some more memorable than others.“The time I caught a 48 pound cod at Glenlyon Dam is a favourite moment,” he said.
Other models are 'Aussie 200' in 4 sizes, Jew-Anne in 3 sizes, Dart in 3 sizes and the Shrimp. Circa 1988-2002
Nearly all Tenterfield Lures will be signed on the belly and bib with the model name and signature. Earliest lures will be signed 'Tenterfield Lures - T Mc Feeters, T.J Mc Feeters or T & J McFeeters'. Some will not have the model name printed but most often it will be written on the underside of the bib.
Top card is the 'Elberta' address, New England Highway. Earlier phone number.
Below is later 76 Bulwer St cards
Top card is wide format and has the New England Highway address and bottom card is a later signed version with the Rouse St address and later phone number.
Some fine examples of Tenterfield 'Aussie 200' series lures .
The 'Tenterfield Shrimp': Trevor carried on the tradition of Peter Newell's shrimp and cray pattern and this lure is now in high demand if found.
Early Tenterfield 'Shrimp on card with original price tag. New England address
The Tenterfield 'Jew Anne': This model is one of the most in demand if found and will fetch $1000 per lure in good condition. There is also an example of a jointed model that was discovered in 2017.
Tenterfield rarities including the yellow lure below which is signed 'Handbrake' and made for Debbie Dare from Glen Lyon Dam
Possibly the easist model of lure to find that was made by Trevor Mc Feeters is the Tenterfield 'Dart'. Many Tenterfield Lures are nowadays referred to as simply 'Mc Feeters' - the following collage of Tenterfield Dart colours shows the many variations that are out there. Marking and signatures will give you a good indication of age. There are also 'Mini Darts' and 'Mega Darts' to look out for.
The advertisement opposite dates to 1993 when the 'Mini Dart' had just been released and was aimed at the bass market and those applications where smaller lures are needed. Only ever available at select outlets in a small geographical area centred around northern NSW and southern QLD. The Mini Dart is a difficult lure to find and there are far fewer examples of this model than the common sized Dart
The lures below are photographed from the Tenterfield Lures display from Expo 2018
Trevor hand carved all lures and the photograph above is some 'Dart' shapes and partly carved Mc Feeter's lures that were recovered from Trevor's shed.
The Tenterfiled 'Darts' shown above show variation in body thickness from thick to thin body shape.
Below outlines some things to look out for when identifying age of Tenterfield Dart lures
The display board from Lure Expo 2018 that showcased Trevor Mc Feeters and Tenterfield Lures. The history in one place showing the wide array of colours that were available on the Tenterfield 'Dart' with the tree types of signature.
The lures below are not Tenterfield Lures but were released by JAZ Lures using the 'Shrimp' and 'Dart' shapes in plastic
