Geelong Artist: Helen Peters (1866 - 1923)

Helen A. Peters (1866-1923) Australia
Helen Peters was born in Geelong, Victoria in 1866 and she dies in 1923. She recieved her matriculation in 1883 from Flinders School.

She studied art in Geelong under Edmund Sasse, and later in Melbourne under Bernard Hall, Tudor St George Tucker and Emanuel Phillips Fox.

She was a painter and art teacher who worked from her private home in Elizabeth St, Geelong. Helen exhibited mostly with the Victorian Artists' Society and the Yarra Sculptors' Society from 1895. Helen Peters was an active member of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors. She has work in the Royal Academy in London.


She recieved coverage in the newspapers of the day for her work.

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956) Saturday 18 January 1902 p 14, reported: "The local art gallery lias received another addition, in the shape of a picture, entitled, "The Toilers," from the brush of Miss Helen Peters."


The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), Thursday 8 November 1906, p. 5 about  her piece in the 9th Federal Art Exhibition:

"The End of the Way," by Helen Peters; also a Victorian artist, shows a swagiuan descending the hill of life and nearing the waters winch, indicate the end of the journey. The conception is good, and the execution is not without merit. The follow- ing lines are attached to the frame: "Why don't I grow rich as I know I grow old? Because with. Billy in hand and my swag on mybick, I wander away on the Wallaby Track."

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Saturday 24 August 1912, p. 13 about her contribution to the Royal Art Society (New South  Wales) Spring Exhibition:

 

"Helen A. Peters, an artist of genuine talent, In "Our Baby" (No. 51) appears to be still showing her art through the weird kind of twilight she brought with her from Paris years ago. Everything ss obscured and confused by this method; and we do not profess to understand its object." 

"According to the Geelong Advertiser's reviewer of her retrospective exhibition at the Gordon Technical College in 1903, she was 'probably better known in the art centres of Melbourne and Sydney than she is in Geelong'. She showed almost sixty paintings in her exhibition, with sentimental figure groups and portraits dominating. The Advertiser reported that Frederick McCubbin had sent a letter to mark the opening, which stated that 'Geelong should be proud of Miss Peters' work when it was considered that she was one of the foremost lady artists in Australia. He concluded by congratulating her upon her industry and position in the art world.'" (From: http://daaouat.library.unsw.edu.au:81/main/read/5062)

 

An exhibition of Geelong women's art and craft

1907 (Sept).

A Women’s Work Exhibition was held to raise money for the Infectious Diseases Hospital Fund. It included over 200 paintings, fancy work, cookery, perseveres & sweets.

It was opened Lady Madern & the Vice-regal party travelled by train from Melbourne to Geelong.
(Source: The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848-1954) Thursday 26 September 1907 p.3).

On the 23 October 1907 The Australian Exhibition of Women's Work opened in Melbourne. Pattie Deakin ran a model creche during the five-week exhibition which showcased the work of women musicians, artists and craftswomen.  You can link here to information about it and images of the Medal for the exhibition winner:

• http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/items/75813/medal-women-s-work-exhibition-prize-victoria-australia-1907?startType=ItemSimilar&start=10 

Helen Peters a Geelong artist and art teacher exhibited in the Melbourne exhibit.  A separate entry on Helen Peters is included in HerStory. (Link to her for detailed information about Helen - http://daaouat.library.unsw.edu.au:81/main/read/5062)

Helen Garner: Author

Helen Garner was born in 1942 in Geelong and she attended Manifold Heights Primary School and The Hermitage Private Girls School in Newtown.

Her first novel Monkey Grip was published in 1977. It won a National Book Council award in 1978 was filmed in 1982. Since then, Postcards from Surfers won a 1986 NSW Premier's Literary award, & her short novel The Children's Bach won a SA Premier's Literary Award in 1986. Her novel Cosmo Cosmolino was nominated for a Miles Franklin Award in 1993. In 1993 she won a Walkley Award for feature journalism for her story in Time magazine about the Daniel Valerio case. Her first non-fiction book, The First Stone (1995) was highly controversial. It explored a sexual harassment case at the University of Melbourne which led to the sacking of the Master of Ormond college. She was widely criticised by many feminists for being too sympathetic to the Master and angered supporters of the two female students who bought the case against him.

Link here to more information about Helen Garner: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Garner

Several YouTube videos of Helen discussing her work are available.

Award winning novelist

Dorothy Johnston is an award-winning novelist, poet, short story writer, and author of reviews and literary essays who was born in Geelong, Victoria, in 1948. She was winner of the Miles Franklin Award 1986 and 1997. After living in Canberra for thirty years, she has returned to the Bellarine Peninsula, and her new novel (forthcoming Bewrite books) is a sea-change mystery set in Queenscliff titled, 'Through a Camel's Eye'.

Link to her website here:

• http://www.dorothyjohnston.com.au/

Sally Learey: Geelong children's book author

Sally Learey (Waurn Ponds) is a children’s book author and ex-primary teacher who began writing children’s books after she learnt that her son, daughter and husband had coeliac disease. She has written two books on food allergies for children. Her first book was title ‘Food for Me is Gluten Free’ (2007) (ISBN: 9780646466651). She has written four location books featuring Lorne, Ballarat, Melbourne and Geelong. Her location book with a distinctively Geelong flavour 'Corio Bay Kingdom' is set in Geelong, The Surf Coast and The Bellarine Peninsula. It includes specific foci on Eastern Beach, The Carousel, The Bollards, Fairy Park, The Barwon River, The Queenscliff Ferry, Torquay surf culture, the beaches at Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads, The You Yangs and Skilled Stadium.

Her most recent book is about personal learning and growth and its titled: “Overcoming Problems: Effective Steps and Strategies to Create your Blockbuster Life". 

Sally Learey, 2012.

• For more information about Sally and her personal growth seminars and books please visit her website: http://www.sallylearey.com
• Information about her books can be found at: http://www.sallysbooks.com/page6.htm

Christian Waller and stained glass

Christian Waller a famous woman artist designed one of the stained glass windows inside Christchurch and in 1942 painted a large mural on the west wall of the church. There is only one other recorded mural by Christian in existence. Christian was also renowned for her illustration work and was the Australian to illustrate Alice in Wonderland. Her work is seen of immense national significance. She pioneered the use of stained glass in Australia, was one of the first Australian female stained glass artists, a book illustrator and supported her husband on her art for a period of time when he returned injured from the first World War. Other windows designs are at Queens College, the University of Melbourne, St. James Cathedral, Melbourne.  


She made a total of sixty-five individual stained glass panels - which in terms of quantity, artistry and quality, place her as one of the leading Australian stained glass makers of the twentieth century. 


Link here to an image of her stained glass window in Geelong:

• http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/indy/geelong/216/story/129469.html

Images of her work can be found at:

• http://www.stpaulscanterbury.org.au/heritage.htm

For more information please follow these links:

• Art Gallery of Ballarat: http://www.artgalleryofballarat.com.au/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/christian-waller-from-klytie-pate.aspx
• Design and Art Australia online: http://www.daao.org.au/bio/christian-waller/
• Australian Dictionary of Biography: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/waller-christian-marjory-emily-carlyle-11944

Books about Geelong

• 1997. Geelong born, Dorothy Johnson publishes One for the Master (Wakefield Press) a novel set around the Mills between 1950 & ends in 1996. The story is told from the point of, Helen Sullivan a woman whose own life has been determined by her relation to the mill. The book was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award in 1998.

Jan Mitchell and the Geelong Bay Bollards

Jan Mitchell an Australian artist who lived in Geelong created the 111 Bollards that line the waterfront. She was also a book illustrator, animator, painter & printmaker. (1940–2008). The last bollard is a bollard of Jan, created after her death in 2008 & it is to be located near her workshop.

1880s. Bollard Number 30 Carrie Moore – Carrie Moore a musical comedy star was born in Geelong in 1882. She performed in Melbourne at age 14 & London at 21. During the season of one of her London shows she gave a scandalous interview in which she spoke out about corsets.

1880s. Bollard Number 32 Salvation Army Woman –The Salvation Army has a longstanding history of providing services for women. In recent years this work has focused on providing refuge shelter for women escaping domestic violence

1859: Two Nuns Bollards No 45, Sister Mary Aloysius & Sister Mary Bernadette were Sisters of Mercy nuns & with that pioneering educators of young women in Geelong. Within a year of arriving in Geelong from Dublin in 1859 the pioneering women of the Sisters of Mercy had raised enough money to buy & renovate a building for their convent & a school that was the forerunner of Sacred Heart College, Geelong a school whose motto is Educating Girls to make a Difference. Despite a lack of money, materials, electricity, telephone, mechanized transport, staff & much illness during the early years the Nuns offered a full curriculum that included mathematics, ancient & modern history, languages, astronomy, botany, music, art, needlework, & tapestry.

1920s. Number 34 1920s lady – This woman represents women’s emancipation in the 1920s. After having filled the place of men while they were away at war, many women got used to a different way of life. This is said to have led to many changes for women including changes in dress such as wearing short skirts & having short hair, going out without a chaperone & driving vehicles such as cars & motorbikes. This woman is off to the beach on her own in her new bathers.

1865. Number 36 Nancy Nattyknickers – This bollard represents the wearing of pants by women which first occurred in 1865 to assist with cycling.