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Patriotic Painter
Artists Palette
|No 168
This New South Wales artist with a proud military background describes himself as ‘fiercely Australian minded’. His patriotism shines through much of his work, and the way that he chooses to use it.
The son of a scrap metal and bottle dealer, I was born at Leichhardt, Sydney, in 1936.
As a young man I was employed in various occupations including factory worker, salesperson and tram guard. Late in my teenage years, I hitch-hiked around parts of Australia including Victoria, South Australia and Queensland – working itinerantly in timber mills, on fishing boats, and in hotels as a barman.
I joined the Army in 1958. I served for 17 years. I was involved in the Malayan Emergency from 1951 to 1961. I went to Vietnam in 1966, serving in the Infantry and Catering Corps.
In 1984, I formed the Australian Vietnam Veterans Art Group in Sydney.
Prior to this, I had taken up painting and exhibited at various venues around Sydney including ‘Art in the Gardens’, the Commonwealth Bank, Martin Place, and Kings Cross streets and restaurants.
This story is from the No 168 edition of Artists Palette.
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