“I then found out he had emptied the bank accounts Mum had for my brother and I in trust. It was money my Dad had left us but we told her to keep it in case she ever needed it and just leave us what was left. This man bought himself a house in a tiny town in Qld. He spent the lot including 2 cars he bought himself and he lived off her pension while he banked his own. He moved my mum out there against the advice of our family and the authorities. By this time she was referred to as “pleasantly confused” and would do whatever anyone asked her to do. She had no idea where she was and her surroundings were unfamiliar which was distressing for her. One freezing night her neighbour who was a nurse found her wandering down the middle of the dark country road in a summer nighty and bare feet in a terrible state. She bundled mum into her car and took her straight to hospital.
I spoke to the Elder Abuse line and the social worker at the hospital for the hundredth time and refused to let her go back to that place. Finally we got Mum into the place we had organised originally. By now her dementia was pretty advanced and she had no idea who that man was when he came to visit her. He passed away not long after and we thought that would be the end of that nightmare but it wasn’t.
When my Mum passed away we had to deal with the daughter of Mum’s husband. She showed up waving a will and claiming everything Mum had, had been left to her. That was another battle that cost thousands. I was just happy that in the end I’d managed to get Mum the care she deserved and she lived out her days being clean and well fed, on proper medication and loved by family.
While all this was happening I was trying to support my daughter who’s boyfriend was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. She was slowly getting back on her feet and eventually moved overseas to New Zealand to start a new life and make a fresh start along with my grandson. My son’s relationship of 13 years with 2 children was breaking apart. It was all pretty traumatic there for a while but everything has now settled. My daughter has a new partner and a new business and is happy once more. My son is sorted out and safe and well.
It feels like I have been holding my breath for the last 5 years. I feel like we, my awesome husband who has been my rock and I can breathe easily once more. There was a time there when my husband and I stopped asking what else can go wrong, just in case the universe decided to show us.
I’ve had 2 major shows already this year, one at the Stanthorpe Regional Gallery that toured to the m arts presinct which is part of the Tweed Regional Gallery. It opened on the Friday and Covid closed it on the Monday. Shortest exhibition ever.
It’s really nice being an artist and having all the other artists come in to have their works framed. I get a preview of all the shows before they get taken off to galleries to be shown. I teach two classes a week as well which are full at the moment. I like sharing what I know and watching people develop their skills. Some of my past students have gone on to have solo careers. A lot of people who have no skills turn out to be great painters.
I love the eclectic style of Lismore. I like that we have all walks of life here and no-one seems too judgemental about anyone else. People are just very accepting. I think the Northern Rivers has the highest demographic of artists in the country outside major cities. How could I not love it here surrounded by like minded people?
I have just recently discovered a new passion for my printmaking, dry point engravings. All the little bits of perspex left over from framing get turned into etching plates rather than being thrown in the bin. I ink them up and print them. We try to recycle everything by giving offcuts to the preschools and all the artists come to us to get the old matt board boxes to post their works and the shop is run on solar power.
The picture framing industry has actually increased through Covid because everyone went home in lockdown and sorted out their cupboards and found works they wanted framing. All the artists stayed home and made works and all the galleries closed down but are now calling for artists to be ready. The problem is the demand of materials is high and countries still in lockdown can’t supply or the deliveries sit on the docks for weeks. There’s that whole chain of demand and we’re at the end of that. So much stuff is out of stock. Our glass company ran out of stock for the first time in 30 years.
I just painted an old box black and started photographing my household treasures. I was thinking about the things we treasure as opposed to the things we should treasure. Now that I have a yard I’ve noticed there’s not a lot of small birds or small creatures. When I was growing up there was always something flitting about. I know that the bushfires had an effect on those small animals but I hate the thought of losing all those little critters that are so special. We treasure a vase and if that drops on the floor and breaks, it’s the end of the world but every single day in Australia alone domestic cats kill 6 million small birds, animals and reptiles. Then they have to struggle through bushfire, floods and drought. I can’t get my head around it. Sometimes I feel so disconnected from this planet. Sometimes I’m llke, make me an Avatar and get me to Pandora. I don’t understand how people don’t care. They value things that are replaceable but when all these little critters go, they’ve gone forever. We are connected with every single thing on this planet. If you zoom out we are a tiny speck of dust in a massive cosmos. Our planet doesn’t have infinite resources. We have what we have and it’s really fragile. I love this world and everything on it. I’m just not real good with people but I love my kids and my grandkids.”
I spoke to the Elder Abuse line and the social worker at the hospital for the hundredth time and refused to let her go back to that place. Finally we got Mum into the place we had organised originally. By now her dementia was pretty advanced and she had no idea who that man was when he came to visit her. He passed away not long after and we thought that would be the end of that nightmare but it wasn’t.
When my Mum passed away we had to deal with the daughter of Mum’s husband. She showed up waving a will and claiming everything Mum had, had been left to her. That was another battle that cost thousands. I was just happy that in the end I’d managed to get Mum the care she deserved and she lived out her days being clean and well fed, on proper medication and loved by family.
While all this was happening I was trying to support my daughter who’s boyfriend was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. She was slowly getting back on her feet and eventually moved overseas to New Zealand to start a new life and make a fresh start along with my grandson. My son’s relationship of 13 years with 2 children was breaking apart. It was all pretty traumatic there for a while but everything has now settled. My daughter has a new partner and a new business and is happy once more. My son is sorted out and safe and well.
It feels like I have been holding my breath for the last 5 years. I feel like we, my awesome husband who has been my rock and I can breathe easily once more. There was a time there when my husband and I stopped asking what else can go wrong, just in case the universe decided to show us.
I’ve had 2 major shows already this year, one at the Stanthorpe Regional Gallery that toured to the m arts presinct which is part of the Tweed Regional Gallery. It opened on the Friday and Covid closed it on the Monday. Shortest exhibition ever.
It’s really nice being an artist and having all the other artists come in to have their works framed. I get a preview of all the shows before they get taken off to galleries to be shown. I teach two classes a week as well which are full at the moment. I like sharing what I know and watching people develop their skills. Some of my past students have gone on to have solo careers. A lot of people who have no skills turn out to be great painters.
I love the eclectic style of Lismore. I like that we have all walks of life here and no-one seems too judgemental about anyone else. People are just very accepting. I think the Northern Rivers has the highest demographic of artists in the country outside major cities. How could I not love it here surrounded by like minded people?
I have just recently discovered a new passion for my printmaking, dry point engravings. All the little bits of perspex left over from framing get turned into etching plates rather than being thrown in the bin. I ink them up and print them. We try to recycle everything by giving offcuts to the preschools and all the artists come to us to get the old matt board boxes to post their works and the shop is run on solar power.
The picture framing industry has actually increased through Covid because everyone went home in lockdown and sorted out their cupboards and found works they wanted framing. All the artists stayed home and made works and all the galleries closed down but are now calling for artists to be ready. The problem is the demand of materials is high and countries still in lockdown can’t supply or the deliveries sit on the docks for weeks. There’s that whole chain of demand and we’re at the end of that. So much stuff is out of stock. Our glass company ran out of stock for the first time in 30 years.
I just painted an old box black and started photographing my household treasures. I was thinking about the things we treasure as opposed to the things we should treasure. Now that I have a yard I’ve noticed there’s not a lot of small birds or small creatures. When I was growing up there was always something flitting about. I know that the bushfires had an effect on those small animals but I hate the thought of losing all those little critters that are so special. We treasure a vase and if that drops on the floor and breaks, it’s the end of the world but every single day in Australia alone domestic cats kill 6 million small birds, animals and reptiles. Then they have to struggle through bushfire, floods and drought. I can’t get my head around it. Sometimes I feel so disconnected from this planet. Sometimes I’m llke, make me an Avatar and get me to Pandora. I don’t understand how people don’t care. They value things that are replaceable but when all these little critters go, they’ve gone forever. We are connected with every single thing on this planet. If you zoom out we are a tiny speck of dust in a massive cosmos. Our planet doesn’t have infinite resources. We have what we have and it’s really fragile. I love this world and everything on it. I’m just not real good with people but I love my kids and my grandkids.”