You're never too old to retrain - just ask Grant Gavin who has now found his niche stuffing dead animals.
Before becoming a taxidermist the 39-year-old Whangarei man had tried his hand at bee-keeping, bricklaying and cabinet making.
He began working as a taxidermist soon after he was laid off as a
kitchen maker 15 months ago.
Now he has set up his own business, Wildlife Downunder Taxidermy, in Maungatapere, targeting Northland's lucrative game fishing industry.
It was a gamble that paid off - he now has a year's worth of work stacked up ahead of him.
Forty percent of his commissions come from overseas clients who have caught game fish off Northland's coast.
His fascination with taxidermy began as a child.
"A very good friend of my father's was a part-time taxidermist.
"I used to go around there with my dad when I was a kid and see these things on the wall in his workshop. I was always fascinated by it."
Six years ago he had the opportunity to learn the basics of the craft.
"My thirst for knowledge grew very rapidly."
In 2003 he was accepted into an American school of taxidermy in Wisconsin and managed to obtain five diplomas over a three-month period.
It takes him between 40 and 50 hours to complete a broadbill fish and between eight and 20 hours to complete an animal.
He loves his work and sees it as an art form.
"If you're doing something you don't like then what's the point in doing it - that's why I have retrained so many times," Mr Gavin said.
"You always want to remain a student in whatever you do."
He understands that some people might not agree with the sports that support his trade but hopes they see the craftsmanship behind it.
"Friends of mine think my taxidermy work is strange but what they like about it is they can see how much work it takes.
"They still think it's a bit strange `but he's doing something he's excited about'.
"It's like any other job," he said.
"There are areas that you might not like but it's the end result you're after."
