With very few toys available because of war-time rations, he would often sit down with his mother and create shapes from playdough, made with flour and water.

Jenyns would also collect materials from the nearby Sandringham tip to build a billy cart or a cubby house and, at the age of 10, he received his first Meccano set.

The Carlton-born sculptor has recently rekindled his love for the popular metal construction sticks, and combined it with his admiration for late Australian artist Albert Tucker.

The finished work, Pont de L'Archeveche, last week took out Australia's richest sculpture award, the $115,000 Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award at Werribee Park.

Transported from his Tasmanian home in the boot of his station wagon, the metal trailer was built in a scaled-up Meccano style.

Jenyns said it was inspired by Tucker's "never give up" attitude during his residency in Paris during the '40s and '50s, when he built a caravan in his hotel room, dismantled it, and set it up again on the banks of the River Seine.

As a student at the Caulfield Institute in the '60s, Jenyns rebelled against the thinking of British modernists and directed his attention to Australian artists including Tucker, Arthur Boyd and Sidney Nolan.

A former art teacher, the humble 63-year-old said he was shocked by his victory.

"I've never had anything like this happen to me.

"Even after my name was called, it took some time to fully register.

"It just goes to show the value of persistence and making sure you always have a focus on what you want to do."

Jenyns received $80,000 cash and a $35,000 development package, which he now hopes to use to further his career in Europe.

"My friends have been trying to convince me to come over and exhibit in Europe, but I've never had the money to do so - until now."

Judging panel chairman Alan Dodge said Jenyns' work, which will remain in the park's permanent collection, had engaged his fellow judges with its "joyfulness and whimsical qualities."