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

David FRAZER (1966- ) Born Foster, Victoria, Australia David Frazer works in painting, wood engraving, etching, lithography and bronze. He studied a B.A. Fine Arts (Painting) at Phillip Institute of Technology, followed by a Diploma of Education (Secondary- Art/Craft) at Latrobe University in 1991. He completed an Honours Degree in Fine Art (Printmaking (at Monash University in 1996, and between 1998 and 2000 Frazer undertook a Master of Arts (Visual Arts) by research: “Pastoral Melancholia”, at Monash University. One of Austalia's foremost printmakers David Frazer's highly detailed woodblock and linocut prints often explore the emotional and fragile state of the human condition. His work offers a nostalgic image of Australia through its examinations of landscape, Australian buildings, sheds, and itinerant travellers. He has held seven solo exhibitions between 1996-2006 in Melbourne, Sydney and a survey show curated by the Horsham Gallery, which toured Victorian regional galleries from 2004-2005. David Frazer’s work was seen in 37 group exhibitions between 1996-2006 including the 5th British International Miniature Print Exhibition in the UK, in the 2003. He more recently held a solo exhibition with Rebecca Hossack in London 2011. (http://www.thestockrooms.com/, accessed 06/03/2015) David was awarded the Keith Wingrove Bookplate Design and in 2002. These two wood engravings are the subject of the forthcoming Private Press book: ‘The Bookplates of David Frazer’ written by Robert C. Littlewood, The Lytlewode Press, Chateau Bosgouet, Normandie, France, 2014/2015. Two limited edition prints by David Frazer using the wood engraving technique. They have been framed together. .1) Messenger Wood Engraving Plate 10.0cm x 7.5cm Paper 29.0cm x 19.3cm Edition: 32/40 .2) Woe Wood Engraving Plate 10.0cm x 7.5cm Paper 29.0cm x 19.3cm Edition: 32/40 Donated through the Australian Government Cultural Gifts Programme by Katherine N. Littlewood, 2014artist, artwork, frazer, david frazer, wood engraving, framed bookplate, printmaking, bookplates, churchill, gippsland campus

Rudi Mineur was born in Holland and grew up in Tasmania. He came to live in Surrey Hills with his wife Betsie and their 3 sons in 1974. Rudi worked as a taxidermist. With a keen interest in natural science, he is also a talented watercolourist and model-maker. His work included model-making for the Melbourne Museum and creating special effects for films including 'Mad Max'. He is also renowned for his sculpting of netsuke. He illustrated the book 'Growing up in the Goldrush' by Michael Dugan (pubd. 1989), who also lived locally. A colour photo in portrait format taken on Surrey Hills Day. He has greying hair and beard and seated behind a table on which are an assortment of stuffed animals / birds, shells, bones and a microscope.Nilrudi mineur, taxidermy, artist, netsuke, surrey hills day

Events that occurred during the year : further expansion of nursery with 3 children under the age of 3 admitted, first Aboriginal child (Alexander Marks) was admitted, children gained 23 swimming certificates, some Scouts met Lady Baden Powell, Board approved revised sketch plans for 42 acre site at Box Hill, doubling of Talking Book Library service with additional 60 machines purchased at a subsidised cost courtesy of the Nuffield Foundation, Alberta Tutton is taking a break from Auxiliary President duties with J. A. Duncan filling the temporary vacancy, thanks to Mabel Nelson for acting as accompaniste to concert artists, resignation of Alban Whitehead as a Country Concert Party manager and appointment of Denis Bandel in the position, outgoing Council member Cr. W.J. Wrens was recognised as Companion of the Order of the British Empire, and Captain Semmens and crew of 'Triaster' provided play equipment for playground. Dick Sutcliffe led the blind orchestra as it played 'There'll Always Be An England" as Queen Mother drove by the Institute and stopped when she saw the crowd of blind children and workers waiting for her, accepting a bouquet of gardenias from Margaret Oliphant.1 volume of text and illustrationsannual reports, royal victorian institute for the blind