A hidden treasure in western Queensland

He’s worn many hats in his 81 years, including kangaroo shooter, professional boxer, and town barber, but perhaps the most unique part of his story is the art of carving emu eggs.

Born in Greece in 1937, Stavros ‘Steve’ Margaritis, left behind a country decimated by the Second World War and in the grips of poverty to arrive in Australia in 1954. 

Though his journey has taken him to the city and back, time and again, Steve has been ingrained into the St George community for over six decades. 

“When I first come to Australia, I come by train to Thallon and then with a truckie to St George,” Steve said.

“When I got out, a man walked up to me with an egg with scratches of a horse head on it and he was saying to me five quid, five quid and I didn't know what he was talking about.”

 Despite not knowing what he was looking at, this encounter sparked a new fascination.

“Back in Greece, we youngsters had no toys, nothing to play with,” Steve said.

“Shearers and drovers used to do woodwork cutting with their pocket knives, and us kids, we used to break a bottle and do woodwork cutting.

“When I first come here, I went across the river with a horse and I seen a green egg laying down, and I look at it and say, ah that's what he had.”

Taking the egg home and emptying it, this was the first egg Steve ever carved. 

After also finding a broken egg and carving a cross on it, Steve said he put a candle behind the egg and realised how the illumination showcased the depth of colours in the egg. 

“I start carving eggs like this, and the last 63 years – self taught work as a hobby,” he said. 

“Nature allow me to be different than anyone else on the planet.” 

Throughout the years, Steve has continued to carve emu eggs, increasing his expertise and perfecting his art, though he still maintains after all this time that it’s just a hobby.

Sourcing suitable eggs from emu farms and aviaries, Steve cleans them thoroughly inside and out before the inside is strengthened with a coating of liquid glass.

He then spends “weeks and weeks, if not months,” etching designs onto the shells, with many of Steve’s designs depicting major Australian and world events.

Most are also decorated with intricate geometric patterns, some carvings being entirely of such patterns.

Finally a bulb is fixed inside the finished egg and, when illuminated, reveals the exquisite colours highlighting the design. Each one is unique and cannot be replicated. 

The uniqueness of Steve’s art has seen him gain quite the attention, and his eggs grace the desks of people like former Governor General, Quentin Bryce, and Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

And though one of his eggs even resided in the White House with the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, Steve remains humble.

“He’s just another man, but I suppose it's something,” he said.

Though one can probably never truly appreciate the beauty of what Steve does, he has his eggs on show in St George.

The Unique Egg houses some 150 carved and illuminated emu eggs that show the amazing colours and shades hidden by nature inside each individual shell.

As visitors wander round the gallery in awe, Steve shows his cheeky side with a well-practiced story.

“Recently I was watching a TV program on the history of the Rolls Royce company, and what particularly caught my attention was their statement that they offer the customer a range of the amazing 44 thousand different colour combinations and shadings for their motor vehicles,” he tells people.

“This set me thinking. Emu eggs have a range of eight natural shades of green and the colours of each individual egg is unique.

“This is likely natures way of protecting the eggs in the Australian bush. The many millions of emu eggs laid in the wild over 80 million according to scientists, would have produced unlimited shades of green.

“Scientists originally thought that eggs only featured seven natural colours.

“Surprising over a period of time, the colours of the untouched egg shell will also alter.

“I was visited by a group of scientist who gave me a pinkish/white emu egg shell that they believed to be 2.5 million years old.

“One would never be able to determine the many colour alterations that occurred with this particular egg from its originally dark green.

“Fortunately, Rolls Royce decided to stick to making motor vehicles and not begin carving emu eggs otherwise I'd have had a serious competitor to contend with.” 

The gallery is visited by thousands of people each year who come to see the “true blue Aussie art form.”

Steve said it was most definitely the only display of it's kind in the world, without competition, and was a source of wonder and enjoyment to visitors. 

“I have been hand-carving emu eggs for well over six decades now, yet it is a real challenge even today to uncover the uniqueness of each individual egg,” he said.

“If anybody think he can do what I done, I'll take me hat off to him.”