Hope to see you at Cairns RSL The Esplanade for my exhibition Discovering Ernest
27 July – 9 August 2015
Never before exhibited in public will be the letters Ernest sent home to his sister Lucretia from World War One. and memorabilia which inspired my ceramic and mixed media works in this exhibition.
Debby
I am so lucky I am staying at the Tanks Arts Residency. It is a beautiful old Queenslander with the most gorgeous deck overlooking a tropical paradise. If anyone is looking at Cairns as a place for an arts residence you cant go past Tanks Art Centre. Location Location Location. Well equipped and a very special place for artists. Check it out you will love it.
Debby
So here I am in beautiful North Queensland ready for the opening of my exhibition Discovering Ernest Cairns RSL 27 July – 9 August 2015.
It has been a fantastic week so far with one very successful workshop being held last Saturday at the RSL. It was great to meet new friends and share information about the history of Cairns and the people who lived there a century ago.
I also had the pleasure of meeting some new relatives – So I am discovering more than Ernest up here in Cairns. Thank you my new relatives for such a wonderful welcome to Cairns. xxx
Debby
And today if it wasn’t hard enough to say goodbye to my last family – I also had to say goodbye to my little friends from Cobbers School. The girls all gave me a kiss and Bernice gave me a drawing. I will miss them all. Au revour. my precious little friends XXX Deborah
Saying good bye is so hard – Last night my Fromelles Families all got together to give me a farewell. Each and every one of my families has had a very special part of my heart and they have been part of the most wonderful experience of a life time. It was a very special moment and in my emotional (quick for those who know me well) I forgot to say the biggest thank you of all to Jean-Gabriel Masson. So here is my thank you to you – for all you have done from organising my families, lunches, the school, the studio, materials, emergency remedies, my 2 Exhibitions, transportation, outings, Pheasant Wood, Commemoration Ceremonies, dinners, ANZAC Day and the list goes on – For you to do this on top of your own employment, your wonderful family and the many other things you do for the service of the community – I sincerely thank you – Merci Beacoup
Fromelles holds a special spot in my heart – in part or mostly – because of my wonderful Fromelles Families and Friends xxx Deborah
A big Merci to all my Fromelles friends – The results of the ceramique pieces fired so far are outstanding Deborah xxx
Fabulous day yesterday painting in Fromelles
The lovely Thérèse my new host helped me glaze some koalas and kangaroos and made a beautiful cross for our garden.
Then with Thérèse and Gervais and Regine, I Deborah (yes me for those who know my fear of heights and will not believe this) climbed up the bell tower at the church at Fromelles. Amazing but true and i have the pictures to prove it. I may have been slow and it may not have been the most dignified of exits as I climbed down but woot woot (translation – exclamations of delight and excitement) you should see the view from the top. and very few people have the honour of being able to go up there WOW.
Wednesday was a fabulous day – a huge thank you and a hundred Merci’s to Brigitte and Liz Millward for a fabulous day out in Belgium. By pure chance I came across the grave of Paddy Bugden – Thérèse Ingelaere Bless her – gave me a book on ANZACs there was Paddy and the details of where he was buried. A quick request to Liz and as the grave was near where we were going to Iper that very morning and we found it. I was able to place Anne’s cross on Paddy’s grave. Hooge Crater, Polygon Wood, Tyne Cot and the Last Post at the Menin Gate.
Thank you Liz and Brigitte for the most wonderful wonderful day xxx
Polygon Wood – And an interesting chat with Mark Booth who is working with CWGC planting the beautiful flowers on the graves in all the Commonwealth Cemeteries.. A lot of planning and work goes into the selection of the plants and design of the planting. It is interesting to learn about something which I hadn’t given much thought to before – except to admire the stunning blooms of the flowers
The most amazing collection of Trench Art at Hooge Crater Belgium
Sometimes life gives you an opportunity to share a special moment with people you have never met before. I have had a few of those moments over the last few weeks and this morning I was privileged to have another of these special moments. I was asked yesterday if I would like to come along to see some Australian musicians who were visiting Fromelles. Of course I said.
I thought there were 7 people. Turns out I had the pleasure of meeting 2 bus loads of Traralgon Brass Band members and their supporters (Melbournites:) A few of the members had relatives whose names were on the wall at VC Corner. They had a very moving service – played Waltzing Matilda (Yes there were tears in my eyes).
And I had one cross left – which I had brought with me from Australia. In a very touching moment 2 of the young members of the group wrote a message and placed the cross at the Memorial – and as promised I have taken the cross and placed it on the grave of T J Cosgriff – a relative of one of the band members.
I had also made 7 ceramic crosses for the members to carve a message into. How wonderful for the relatives of those brave men who died in the Battle of Fromelles to inscribe the crosses for our Fromelles project.
Safe journey my new friends and I hope your repetition at Villers Bretonneau is as moving as the music was this morning.
Debby xxx
deborahgowerceramics 