2019, oil on canvas, 59 x 39 cm
Born in 1934 in Glasgow, Bob grew up not far from Billy Connolly. He attended trade school, studying tiling, carpentry and plumbing, and in his spare time enjoyed playing soccer, cycling, playing the bagpipes and was a drummer in a band.
When Bob was sitting for me, he recalled stories of how during the second world war, he would watch the bombing raids from the nearby docks or from the roof of his tenement building. During this time, he was evacuated from Glasgow to country Scotland, near Perth.
Bob made the move and immigrated to Australia in 1950, as a 15-year-old where he immediately started work with the SEC in Mt Beauty, as a carpenter.
Bob met his wife Jan in 1956 and they were married a year later in Adelaide, and went on to have two daughters, not long after in 1958 and 1961. Bob and Jan returned to Mt Beauty where they lived in the workers area for a while before securing 5 acres and building the family home in Coralbank, not far from Mt Beauty.
Whilst building the house, the family lived in a van on the property, constantly surrounded by their many pets, including dogs, cats, horses, ducks, chickens, lizards and birds. Everything on the property was built by Bob, and his daughters spoke fondly about the cubby house and the doll’s house that they had as children, handcrafted by their Dad.
Bob was heavily involved in the Freemasons, where he was a member for 65years, along with being a member of the local Fire Brigade where he enjoyed competing in the Fire Brigade games, Bob also delivered meal for Meal on Wheels for 42 years and was also Santa at Myers for many years!
I was lucky enough to speak to Bob’s family, who recounted his gentle nature, impeccable manners and how he was always willing to lend a hand to help others, whilst also doing so much for his family.
2019, oil on canvas, 59 x 39 cm
Eric William (the third) was born in 1936 and grew up on Coventry Street, in South Melbourne, where his family had a horse and cart business. Involved in the business from an early age, the Clydesdale and Drysdale horses would carry freight and also did the beer run around the hotels in Melbourne, sometimes travelling as far as Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.
Eric attended technical school in South Melbourne, studying boiler making in years 10 and 11 and in his late teens/early twenties spent time in the Army’s transport division.
Whilst spending time with Eric, he recounted many colourful stories, including one of a case of mistaken identity. He recounted one evening in the 1950’s whilst visiting some friends, he made the unfortunate mistake of parking his beloved ’34 2-door coupe outside the infamous Squizzy Taylor’s house… due to a mix-up, his beloved coupe was blown up!
Eric went on to be a boiler maker and welder in West Footscray whilst his children were growing up, working across many sites. One of these was the Westgate Bridge, on that fateful day in 1970 when the bridge collapsed, killing 35 people. Eric was luckily working on the bay side of the bridge, and was spared, but he did pull a co-worker out of the water.
Eric recounted stories about his favourite holiday spot of Loddon River near Maldon and remembered holidaying there with his first wife Val and their 5 children. They returned year after year to camp, fish and go rabbiting. Eric went on to marry a further two times.
Affectionately known as Twinkle Toes, during his time as a professional ballroom dancer, Eric was well known for his knack of getting the whole room up and dancing.
Whilst speaking to him, I could still see that sparkle in his eyes, along with his gentlemanly manner and could easily picture him twirling that someone special around the dance floor!
2019, oil on canvas, 59 x 39 cm
Born in Footscray in 1937, Joan was the youngest of three siblings to her parents Myrtle and John.
She attended school at Footscray Girls Grammar, and as a teenager worked for Coles in Footscray. She unfortunately lost her job, due to taking the day off to attend the 1954 Grand Final of her then beloved Bulldogs (little did they know it would take another 62 years for another victory)!
Other jobs followed including a stint at the William Angliss Meat Works in Footscray, but it was whilst working for Melbourne PMG as a telephonist, that Joan met her husband Kevin.
They married in Footscray in 1956 and went on to have 5 children, 1 son and 4 daughters, (who have now borne Joan 10 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild). They lived in Laverton where Joan worked at a Chemical Factory, alongside Teddy Whitton senior. Story goes, it was Joan that introduced him to his first cigarette!
Joan was an RAAF wife from 1963, and she continued raising her family on her own whilst Kevin served in Vietnam in the late 60’s, and again with the Peace Corp in Ismailia, Egypt in the 70’s.
Throughout her time as an RAAF wife, Joan opened up her home and heart to the many airmen and airwomen that came through her door, and fondly reminisced that most of them came to call her mum.
A further posting took the family to Newcastle in NSW where Joan worked at the Stockton Mental Hospital. Her children remember other children from the hospital often being included in many family outings.
When Kevin retired from the RAAF they bought a home in Altona where they lived and enjoyed spending time with their family.
2019, oil on canvas, 59 x 39 cm
Joyce was born in 1930 in the coal mining district of Rhondda Valley in Wales. Her mother, Edith was crippled due to the effects of childhood polio, and her father Joseph was employed to check the safety of the mines in the area. When WW2 broke out, Joan’s father went to work in the armaments for the war effort, which meant her family moved a lot, until peace was established, by which time they had ended up living in London.
Upon finishing school, Joyce gained a place at the London School of Economics, completing an BA and it was here she met her future husband, Stephen. Joyce remembers one fateful day in early 1955, whilst she was working as a teacher, when Stephen rang her from Africa, where he had gained Employment as an Education Officer. It was during this phone call that Stephen asked her to marry him when he came home on leave and wanted her to return to Uganda to live with him.
Needless to say, a wedding was hastily arranged and Joyce soon left England to live in Uganda for the next 12 years. She has fond memories of the challenges and delights of living in Africa, which included raising their children, one daughter and two sons.
It was 1977 when Joyce and her family immigrated to Melbourne, on the last migrant ship from Britain, the ‘Australis’. In Australia, Joyce worked as a teacher for many years, only retiring when she was in her early 60’s.
When Stephen, a minister of the Presbyterian Church passed away in 1996, Joyce in her mid-60’s had plenty of energy to devote to her many hobbies; music, playing the piano, writing, sewing and tapestries, as well as travel and spending time with her beloved family, including 5 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and her many friends.
During our time together, Joyce who has been a person of faith and Christian belief since her teens, enjoyed playing the piano and singing hymns for us.
2019, oil on canvas, 59 x 39 cm
Born in Wolverhampton in 1929, James was one of six children with a love of playing cricket and soccer whilst at school. At fourteen, James began an engineering apprenticeship at the local motorcycle factory, before being conscripted into the army in 1947.
After working for two years in the army’s artillery department, making anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank guns, James returned to the motorcycle factory, before turning his attention to landscape gardening.
James came to live in Australia in 1960, where he met his wife, Dorothy. James and Dorothy lived in Queensland where James continued his landscape gardening before moving to Melbourne where they started a family and James worked as a brickmaker in Coburg. They went on to have 3 children, and James is now a grandfather to 7!
James always loved to spend time in the garden and was very good with his hands, always carving and making things. An avid horse racing enthusiast, James enjoys watching them live at the local track, or on the television, he was very happy to sit still for me watching a race meeting on the tv while I sat and made drawings of him.
2019, oil on canvas, 59 x 39 cm
Kathleen was born in 1934 in the small Northern Ireland town of Derrylin. Her mother died when Kathleen was 9 years old, so her father made the decision to send Kathleen and her two siblings into the care of their very strict, old maiden Aunt.
As was the time, it was expected that Kathleen would marry the 70-year old farmer who lived next door, but Kathleen had other ideas. Kathleen remembers early one morning, after taking some money from her Aunt’s purse and her bicycle, Kathleen ran way to London. A wild adventure, as she had never left the village before, but she was determined to get away.
A journey that was made by bicycle, bus, train and then by boat, Kathleen made her way to a central London hotel, to be with her brother, where she worked and eventually met her husband, who was also Irish, in the hotel kitchen.
During the 1970’s, a time when the Irish weren’t very well received by the English, Kathleen and her family, which by this time included 6 children, made the journey on the Fairstar to Port Melbourne. Kathleen’s husband was very homesick and suffered a heart attack at the tender age of 36, believed to be from stress and a broken heart, as he wanted to return home to his beloved Ireland, but Kathleen had refused.
Eventually, they made a home in terrace house on Bridport Street in South Melbourne, where Kathleen worked as a cleaner to the wealthy and also within some aged care facilities.
Kathleen welcomed me into the unit for our sessions, with stories of her life, highlighted by her beautiful Irish lilt, her memories of Ireland and working in the hotel kitchen in London.
2019, oil on canvas, 59 x 39 cm
Keith was born in Holland in the 1939 and grew up in Rotterdam. Keith’s father sadly passed away of a heart attack when Keith was only 14. His mother, who was 30 years younger than Keith’s father, went on to remarry, and she placed Keith in a home.
Keith was an only child, although it is thought he may have siblings from his Father’s first marriage, but he has never met them.
Keith went on to become a waterside worker in Rotterdam, before moving to Australian in 1966 with his wife, Wilhelmina and their two daughters, where they would spend 6 months in a hostel in Maribyrnong.
They then spent the next 7 years living in various Melbourne suburbs including Faulkner, Eltham, Footscray and Kensington, before eventually settling in Werribee.
Although Keith did not have any experience as a painter, through his promise and willingness to learn, he gained employment. ‘Keith the painter’ as he was called, as Cornelius proved too difficult for Australians to pronounce in the 1960’s, was known as a perfectionist… and took great pride as a painter and decorator for over 40 years.
During our time together, I learnt of his love and pride in his family. He was determined to give his family a sense of belonging and happiness that he felt he missed out on as a child and continues to dote on his daughters and 4 grandchildren.
2019, oil on canvas, 59 x 39 cm
Born in Melbourne in 1946, Libby lived in Kew for much of her early life, and also in Prahran and Brighton. She made the decision to move to the UK after leaving school, where she worked as a typist with the BBC and spent time travelling. Libby was fortunate enough to meet Bill her husband on her travels, when they were both working on an Army base in Munich.
Libby and Bill moved back to Australia to be married, and Libby gained employment with the ABC. Libby and Bill enjoyed travelling, and in the 60’s they travelled through the Middle East in a Mercedes Benz, returning to Australia on boat via India.
In the 1970’s Libby moved to New Zealand, where she lived a bohemian life on Waiheke Island, off the coast of Auckland, but eventually returned to Australia in the 1980s.
Upon her return to Australia, Libby was a drama and dance teacher, as well as a choreographer. Libby was a ballet dancer as a teenager, and her passion for dance has never left her, which is evident as she gracefully moves around the unit.
I was fascinated to learn, that Libby also spent time working in some psychiatric hospitals throughout the 1980s as their artist in residence. As a self-taught artist, she could sit drawing for hours at a time.
Daughter Imogen fondly recalls everything about her mum as creative and sensitive. Libby has been with her partner Clive since 1990.
2019, oil on canvas, 59 x 39 cm
Born in Finley in 1943, Lynne grew up in Braybrook. She was one of 11 children. She attended Braybrook State School and the to Sunshine High School.
She met her husband, Lou when she was 18 at a local youth group – the Tottenham Baptist Church Youth Group where she was score keeper for their cricket club. Lynne and Lou married in 1968, when Lou was able to get weekend leave from the Army to attend his own wedding, they have now been married for over 50 years.
In her early 20’s Lynne worked as a pay mistress and at the age of 24 she and a group of girlfriends travelled overseas.
In 1978, Lynne and Lou moved to England with their two children, due to Lou’s work with the Defence Force, they lived there for twelve months until their son was due to start school.
Upon returning to Australian, Lynne and her family settled in Werribee, where Lynne pursued her love of craft, eventually opening a craft shop in the 1980s. She became very well known in the area for her classes and her teddy bears… Lou recounts that when he moved to a new house, he had to pack over 250 teddy bears!
Whilst sharing stories and laughs with Lynne during our drawing sessions, she was always eager to dash off and meet Lou, who visits her every day and they now have 4 wonderful grandchildren.
2019, oil on canvas, 59 x 39 cm
Born in 1936 in Croatia, Maria lived on a small town farm that produced wine and grew fruit with her brother and sister. Maria worked on the farm with her parents from a young age.
Maria met her Croatian husband when she was in her 20s and 5 daughters soon followed.
Maria, her husband and large family made the decision in 1970 to board a boat bound for Florida in the USA, a journey that made a stop in Australia along the way. During this stopover, the family loved Australia so much that they decided to stay, rather than continue the journey to Florida.
Having departed the boat in Darwin, the family then transferred to Melbourne and stayed at the Maribyrnong barracks for new immigrants for close to six months. All Maria’s girls attended school whilst they were there. Maria went on to have another daughter and a son after arriving in Australia.
At the time of arriving in Australia, there wasn’t a big Croatian community, and Maria never really became a fluent English speaker, so her family was (and still is) very important to her.
Maria has always loved gardening and cooking and enjoyed spending hours at a time knitting and crocheting whilst her children were at school.
During our drawing session, although we didn’t speak a great deal due to the language barrier, we enjoyed spending quiet times and lots of smiles.
2019, oil on canvas, 59 x 39 cm
Born in Benalla in 1928, the economic depression brought Mary’s family to the city when she was in her early teens, and they moved to Williamstown where her father was able to find steady work.
Mary studied bookkeeping in high school and later worked as a bookkeeper and later as a computer operator. Mary continued working for most her adult life, including a stint as an Avon lady.
When she was 17, Mary met her husband Alan but he soon went off to war (after fudging his age) not returning until 1946. By 1950 they moved to Yarraville, where they built the first house in their street. A place that Mary lived in for the next 65 years.
Mary and her husband went on to have 3 children, 2 sons and a daughter, with whom Mary shared her great love of art and reading. Mary taught herself to draw and paint, and recently enjoyed the Street Art on a trip back to Benalla. She is now a grandmother to 6 beautiful grandchildren.
Although Mary travelled extensively, often with school groups to Central Australia, Tasmania and Far North Queensland, her first overseas trip was to the UK for her son, Graeme’s wedding in 1980. During this time, Mary and Alan also spent time exploring Europe.
Faith has been an important part of Mary’s life, and she was very involved in St Pauls Church of England in Yarraville.
During our sessions together, I found Mary to be a lovely and softly spoken, gentle and a very patient model.