When Canadian artist Clarence Mills first carved a hulking piece of Western red cedar from Vancouver Island to create a totem pole for the World Expo in Brisbane in 1988, he was a young man in his late 20s.
Today, he's 67 years old, renowned for his work, and back to restore the very same totem pole, this time in Canberra.
After Expo 88, the totem pole was sent to Canberra to stand in the grounds of the High Commission of Canada, on Commonwealth Avenue.
Over the last 38 years, the totem pole has become weathered and insects have invaded the wood.
Who better to restore it than the man who created it?
For the last few weeks, Mr Mills has been working on it at the National Museum of Australia, where he can carve away outside but under cover, drawing the attention of visitors as he meticulously shaves off layer after layer. He's expected to be working on it at the museum until August 9.
"The totem pole was inside [at the museum] for a while but it proved too dry and too warm and too much wind coming from the fans. It was drying the top off too fast," he said.
"Anyway, it's been outside for its whole life, it may as well stay outside."
The six-metre-high totem pole should be back in place at the Canadian high commission by March 2027, when its new chancery is complete.
High Commissioner Dr Julie Sunday was grateful for the assistance of the National Museum to give Mr Mills a place to work, saying it was another example of the close ties between Canada and Australia.
"It was incredibly moving to witness the artist who created this beautiful totem pole encounter it again 40 years later," Dr Sunday said.
"I loved hearing Clarence's stories about how it came to be in Australia and which of his family members were represented. I learned a bit about their stories. I had walked past this totem poll and admired it many times, but I now feel like I know it in a much deeper way.
"It is not an artefact - it is actually a part of living history."
Mr Mills, an indigenous carver from the Haida Nation in British Columbia, was commissioned by the Canadian government to create the totem pole for Expo 88.
He paid tribute to his family story in the totem pole, his grandfather featured at the beginning of the carving.
His grandfather was hereditary chief Skedans of Haida Gwaii, previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, off the coast of British Columbia. The family crest includes the Split Raven and Grizzly Bear, which are on the totem. Mr Mills' grandmother is also represented on the work. A totem pole, he explained, was like an address or a visual marker, to show who lived in that location.
Mr Mills is now in demand for commissions around the world.
But he was thrilled to be back in Australia working on this very personal totem pole after finishing it 38 years ago.
"This is my third kid and it stayed here and I forgot about it. I totally forgot about it," he said.
"It was fantastic to come back here and see it again. It was pretty nice after all this time."
National Museum head of visitor experience Andrew Witty said the high commission reached out to see if the museum could temporarily accommodate the 850-kilogram totem pole, and allow Mr Mills to work on it for about a month.
With the high commission undergoing its own renovations, the museum was more than happy to lend a hand.
Even after Mr Mills finishes, in early August, the totem pole will stay in place at the museum, in the Garden of Australian Dreams, just outside the lower gallery, until the high commission is ready to take it back, early next year.
"Clarence has spoken about how his studio at Granville Island in Vancouver has lots of public walking past, lots of young people from the local schools who engage with him as he works," Mr Witty said.
"Even as he was scoping this location out, he actually said to us that's something he really enjoys about his carving at home. And it's great we've been able to find a place at the museum where the public can really see this living cultural practice in action.
"We will be looking after it until late January, early February, likely where it is now. So even if folks don't get the chance to see Clarence carving in action, there's absolutely a chance to see this beautiful restoration."
Mr Mills said the totem pole was more weathered on one side, where it had received more sun, and he had to go down some distance to remove some of the rot.
"It's like a tooth. You've got to get all the decay out or it's going to go down the length of the totem pole," he said.
With a mammoth task to complete in a month, Mr Mills has not yet seen much of Canberra beyond the museum and his accommodation.
"But I have been to Bunnings," he said, with a smile.
And he even had a sausage.
