David STRACHAN (1919–1970) Born 25 June 1919 at Salisbury, Wiltshire, England Arrived 1920 Adelaide, Australia: 1921 Creswick, Victoria David Strachan attended Creswick State School and Geelong Church of England Grammar school. By the age of 16 he wanted to be an artist. Accompanying his mother to London in 1936, he enrolled at the Slade School of Fine Art, where he met Godfrey Miller. In 1937 he attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris, and painted at Cassis on the Mediterranean Sea. He returned to Australia in April 1938 and studied at the George Bell School, Melbourne. He had a growing interest in classicism blended with a fascination for the dream-state which was reinforced in his work after he moved to Sydney in 1941. There he was befriended by Jean Bellette and her husband Paul Haefliger, who were to be driving forces behind the Sydney Art Group (founded 1945). He lived on the top floor of the Haefligers' house at Double Bay, and together the three artists drew from models whom the Haefligers hired. In this period Strachan painted and exhibited some of his most poetic works—mainly figurative and landscape subjects, and still-lifes of haunting beauty. His flowers, bowls of fruit, birds, and angelic figures glimmered out of the darkness as things not of this world, evoked faintly, like mythological personages in a gently spoken narrative. He 'spent an erratic war' painting camouflage at Bankstown aerodrome with other artists, among them (Sir) William Dobell, and dancing minor roles with Hélène Kirsova's ballet company. In 1948 Strachan settled in Paris. His paintings, included by Peter Bellew in an exhibition at the Musée National d'Art Moderne, had been well-received by French critics two years earlier. In 1950 he began tentative experiments in etching. These led to the formation of the Stramur-Presse, a business venture which published etchings and lithographs of leading French and English artists. His most important project was a series of twenty-two colour etchings illustrating Alister Kershaw's book of poems, Accent & Hazard (Paris, 1951). Strachan continued to exhibit in Australia and maintained a lively social life with Australian friends. From Paris, he went for weekend painting trips with Moya Dyring in her car and, after 1957, visited the Haefligers on Majorca. He lived in London in 1955-57. His paintings became progressively less soft in effect, his palette brightened, and his forms, especially the still-lifes, became spikier. In the late 1950s his attention drifted towards the study of Hindu philosophers and Jungian psychology. For most of 1957-58 he was enrolled at the C. G. Jung-Institut, Zürich, Switzerland. In 1959 he worked in Silvio Daneo's silkworm factory at Bricherasio, Italy. In May 1960 Strachan returned to Sydney. He lived at Woolloomooloo before buying a house at Paddington in 1963. Over the ensuing years he involved himself energetically with the art scene, exhibiting, teaching (1960-65) at East Sydney Technical College, fund-raising for memorials for Thea Proctor and Dyring, and as the last president (1965) of the Society of Artists. His paintings were out of harmony with the prevailing fashion for abstraction, but he won the Wynne prize for landscape painting in 1961 and 1964 (shared). Perhaps the most moving works of Strachan's last ten years were the mining landscapes, including those he painted near Hill End, leading up to his vast canvas, 'Lewers Freehold Mine'. This was a history picture, depicting the mine as it might have appeared in 1874. He presented it to the Creswick Historical Museum in 1970 in memory of his father. (Barry Pearce, 'Strachan, David Edgar (1919–1970)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/strachan-david-edgar-11786/text21083, published first in hardcopy 2002, accessed online 6 January 2016.) This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 1000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.Framed still lifefeaturing fruit and flowers.art, artwork, strachan, david strachan, still life, flowers, flora, available

bob jenyns, truck

Book

Maps, p.246.non-fictionA story of the jungle and the sea, of man against nature and man against man... Green Armour is the courageous story of fighting men in the swamps and jungles of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. From the earliest days of forlorn hopes to the large-scale, well-organised attacks by land, sea, and air this terrifying first-hand account is distilled from the bloody, despairing experiences of the Australian and American forces in the early days of the Second World War... world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - new guinea, world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - pacific area

Prisoner made smoking pipe (broken) - made and confiscated at Geelong Gaol. Circa 1990's.Plastic bottle with hole in the side and breakage on the opposite side.geelong, gaol, museum, smoking, contraband

British Army Household Bridge WO Warrant Officer SD Rank x 6

Cole's Humerous Books.Paper-covered book with sewn binding behind. Cover yellowed, foxed and torn. Evidence of previous insect infestation. Pages discoloured around edges, generally yellowed, foxing throughout. Black & white illustrations. 309 pp. Fair condition.Nil.comic fiction, whitburgh cottage collection

Built by Water Browne c.1903 Greenhills was one of the first pastoral runs, and centres of European settlement, established in the Shire of Melton. Estate in Diggers Rest Coimadai Road, Toolern Valelocal architecture, pioneer families

p.350.non-fictionA collection of literature, folklore and balladry celebrating Irish influence and culture in Australia.literature-australia, folklore - ireland

Heavy Australian Army trench coat with silver buttonsTempalton (?) 3/643(?) on label.1957 Size 7

Set of 5 cloth badges. 2 olive crowns and 3 blue British Commonwealth Forces.British Commonwealth Forces

A booklet by Jack Risden of song parodies. He has rewritten the songs; "They didn't believe me", "They call it Dixie Land" and "Samoa" for a concert during the first World War. Was with other World War 1 memorabilia that has come from Private John Basil McLean, 2nd Reinforcements, 37th Battalion, A.I.F. J.B. McLean (Service No. 13824) was from near Maffra, Victoria and enlisted on 22 January 1916. He embarked on 16 December 1916 for Europe. He spent time with the Australian Field Artillery (Pack Section). At the end of the war he worked for a year at the A.I.F. Headquarters in London before returning to Australia on the 'Ceramic', arriving in Portsea in 1920. His full war record is available from the National Archives of Australia (B2455, MCLEAN JBM).A record of publications made for the troops in World War 1 or made of material that came from soldiers.Booklet x 4 pages of songs for soldiers in World War 1.world war one, songs

Ill, p.204.non-fictionThe Australian army in various theaters during World War Twoworld war 1939-1945 - australia, world war 1939-1945 - personal narratives - australia