Wayne Pettit
Wayne Pettit was born in Port Arthur and raised in Fort William. The two cities later amalgamated into Thunder Bay. He lives with his wife Mary, in Shuniah Municipality, just east of Thunder Bay. A retired Thunder Bay Police Officer with 30 years of service, Wayne is the owner of Paper Chase Antiques on Lake Shore Drive in Shuniah. He has been active in the antique business for the past 30 years, both locally and in Southern Ontario, having taken part in shows over the years in Christie (near Dundas), London, Milton, Mississauga, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Toronto and Woodstock. As well, Wayne has conducted antique appraisal clinics in the Northwestern Ontario Towns of Geraldton, Hornepayne, Red Rock and Rainy River as well as in Thunder Bay A former President of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, Wayne is the author of two books published through the museum. They are; Milk Bottles & Dairies Of Thunder Bay & Area 1906-2003 (Dave Maclean, co-author) and The History Of Soda Pop Manufacturers In Northwestern Ontario & The Bottles
Strawberry Hill Werkshop: A history and collector's guide
Strawberry Hill Werkshop A Hisory and Collector's Guide, by Wayne Pettit is a book designed to be a reference source for collector's of Strawberry Hill ceramics as well as a bit of history for those interested in what were some of the cultural influences of the Thunder Bay area in the 1970's, 80's and the early 1990's. It also provides information to the reader on how this local company developed and what went into the manufacturing of their products. In the pieces produced by the Werkshop, can be seen a folk art like representation of the animals and birds of North Western Ontario as well as a few more northern animals such as the Mountain Goat and the Muskox. Also can be seen the influence of the Mexican, South African and Slavic cultures on the artists, Liz and Peter Powlowski. The book comes with a CD disc with over 400 photographs of the pieces produced over the years showing two to four sides of each one as well as variations in colour style and design.