MOUNT Gambier high school sweethearts Tim and Dannii Brighton-Jones are literally building towards glory as one of eight couples on the critically-acclaimed television show Lego Masters.
The former Mount Gambier residents debuted on Sunday night’s second season premiere of the Channel 9 hit reality show, building an eye-catching wizard tower as part of the A Whole New World challenge.
Now living in Victoria, the couple’s first foray into the limelight was not all smooth sailing, with a last-minute rush in a ship decorating bonus challenge sending parts of their creation crashing to the ground.
While the frustration of the moment was evident to viewers, the couple remained steadfast given their long history together, which dates back over a decade.
From the age of three, Tim, who is now 25, called the Blue Lake city his hometown.
He met “polar opposite” Dannii, now 26, when they were both 12 after she moved to the district and started Year 8 at Mount Gambier High School.
Tim left the region in 2012 to start tertiary study in Geelong with Dannii joining him a year later
“We maintained a long distance relationship for a year… we thought it was the worst moment of our lives at the time, but boy were we wrong,” Tim said.
In 2014, a 19-year-old Tim had a significant health scare when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour after developing symptoms while holidaying with his family in Brisbane.
Tim – who at the time shared his story with The Border Watch – became temporarily legally blind in his left eye during the ordeal, with the potentially fatal tumour covering 95pc of his pituitary gland.
With several follow up procedures now behind him, Tim said Lego was front of mind during the health scare.
“One of my goals I had on my bucket list was to smash all my Lego castle sets I had ever built and all of sudden I was 1000km away from home and I could not do that anymore,” he recalled.
Tim said Lego had always been a part of his life and personality, but particularly played a crucial role during his recovery from surgery.
“Dannii bought some Lego and brought it into the hospital and it was like the familiarity of home,” he said.
“My mum found some Lego in a car-boot sale and we sat for hours building it together.
“It was really morbid, but we built a castle so if I kicked the bucket I still had the chance to make something before I went.”
Since meeting Tim, Dannii said she had started to enjoy Lego more, but her passion was not as strong as her husband’s.
“It was not until Tim came out of surgery from his brain tumor that I sat down and started actually building with it,” she said.
“I have pretty much just been his support so whenever he wants to enter an exhibition, I will make sure he gets it on time and will assist.
“We have been working as a team for years but I would always be the helping hand.”
From inheriting sets from his eldest brother to collecting his own, Tim said he had used the humble Lego brick as an escape for as long as he could remember.
“If I recall correctly, Dannii thought I would grow out of it,” he said.
“I think it was the Bionicle series which was what I latched onto from childhood and the passion never died.
“It was just such a big part of my personality, I can not even pinpoint where it all began.”
Dannii said their first joint project – which was a giant sea creature – won a door prize at an exhibition – a $300 Lego set.
“For me, I love the problem solving and critical thinking which goes into making things with Lego,” she said.
“Also, as a teacher, I love the versatility it offers for math and it has been useful on many fronts for me.”
Tim said he loved Lego because it was a unique medium of art which could tell many different stories not able to be told with pen and paper.
“As soon as you start putting yourself into the mentality of a person who built something you can really see different forms of art,” he said.
“It is so versatile and unifying across so many different ages. People can interpret it differently, but also have a connection.”
With the second season of Lego Masters already shaping up to be tightly contested, Dannii said Tim would bring a completely different style of building to the table.
“We have looked around and nobody has even got close to his style,” she said.
“When it comes to creature buildings and anything organic, I think we have a leg up.
“The more modern structures may be where we might need to do some practice.”
Dannii said they had shared their love for Lego with their two daughters Karliah, 2 and Zaidia, 15 months.
“Our eldest is Lego crazy at the moment and is throwing Lego at the television whenever we feature on advertisement,”she said.
“She is probably not at the point where she can build stuff on her own and likes to break things apart more than anything.
“Until she can click the bricks together, the Lego room is off limits.”
The couple said they planned to be at the next BrickGambier exhibition and it was on their priority list.
Lego Masters airs Sundays at 7pm and Monday and Tuesdays from 7.30pm on Channel 9.
