WHEN Kevin Evans' family emigrated from England to Australia when he was 11, he made sure to pack the dozen LEGO sets his parents had bought him over the years.
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They were given to his nieces and nephews and eventually to his son, who also received other sets as gifts.
"For 20 years I had nothing to do with it, but he was a bit young to have the patience to sit and build and so Dad got to build," Mr Evans said.
Related: Brickfest returns to Newcastle
"Then LEGO released a London Tower Bridge set and I thought 'I've got to have that'. That was it."
Mr Evans is the organiser of the sixth annual Newcastle Brickfest at Newcastle Jockey Club, where LEGO fans can meet 60 exhibitors, see more than 180 tables of exhibits, visit the build area and participate in speed build events, among other activities.
He said 2500 tickets had been presold and he hoped to match last year's 3500. Mr Evans said television series LEGO Masters had reintroduced the humble bricks to a wide, prime time audience.
Related: GALLERY: Brickfest 2015
"LEGO is whatever you want it to be," he said.
"Some people build sets, then there are people who like to create. To a lot of us it's like another art medium, instead of using clay and paints you use LEGO.
"You can have something from 40 years ago and it will still work today.
"It works at whatever level you want to build at."
The event is open to all ages and runs Saturday 2pm to 5pm and Sunday 9.30am to 5pm.
Staggered entry times apply. Tickets are $5 if bought online at www.trybooking.com/bbhjk or $8 at the door.
Proceeds go to local schools and charities.
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Helen Gregory
Helen Gregory joined the Newcastle Herald in 2010. She is the masthead’s education reporter and has written for the H2 and Weekender sections, as well as across a range of issues. Helen is a Walkley Award winning journalist and was also part of the Newcastle Herald team that won the United Nations World Environment Day Media Award for Environmental Reporting.
Helen Gregory joined the Newcastle Herald in 2010. She is the masthead’s education reporter and has written for the H2 and Weekender sections, as well as across a range of issues. Helen is a Walkley Award winning journalist and was also part of the Newcastle Herald team that won the United Nations World Environment Day Media Award for Environmental Reporting.
