DATE: SATURDAY 29th APRIL 2006   Location: The Henry Parkes Memorial School of Arts, Tenterfield Time: 2:00pm Cost: $5.00 - refreshments will be served

There appears on the surface, to be no real connection between Roberts and Tenterfield of the 1890’s or to the town of Drake, to Tabulam or the villages in the Empires where he painted.

Chris Humphreys is intrigued by the Roberts - Tenterfield story. He believes that there is much more to learn about the time the artist spent in the district. Beginning his talk with Robert’s visits to the Stewart’s at Millera and Ogilvie’s at Yulgilbar, properties much much more remote than the Anderson’s at Newstead, a half-day’s ride in sometimes very difficult terrain from Tenterfield. It is still in 2006 considered remote to many.

Furthermore, the commissions Roberts received were from people outside his usual circle – one from his boatbuilding mate, Walter Reeks (metropolitania) and the other from Philip Gidley King in Tamworth. King (Goonoo Goonoo) (Calala) had asked Roberts to visit the Clarence & “paint the blacks” for him, somehow, sometime. And there was no serious commission from the Honourable EDS Ogilvy.

So, what was the attraction, when in late 1894 he arrived by train in Tenterfield, coached to Drake, stayed overnight, and the next day rode to Nicholson Creek (near its junction in the Timbarra [or Rocky] River? In 2006 the site would be hard to find – imagine how much more difficult it would have been for Roberts in 1894.

He completed all these ‘tasks’, and maybe painted more. He painted Reeks’ claim at Timbarra (AGNSW). He met Alex Stewart, his wife and their team of daughters at Millera and is said to have given the girls painting lessons. He painted and sketched some natives there. He then went to Ogilvie’s for Christmas 1894. There he painted the chief. In his 80s, the Hon E D S Ogilvy Esq (Mitchell Library) was painted with a red background. Roberts wrote that he sketched and painted one aboriginal woman. (Topliss).

Humphreys is keen to use his research, in the future, to locate the site of Reeks’ claim and will introduce Bea Stewart’s writings into the Roberts story. He will discuss the two Stewart paintings (original on display) which may have been altered by the visiting artist Roberts, with photographs for comparison, and allude to the possibility of a third painting. There is a chance that a Roberts’ painting of the Stewart girls might be on exhibition, if not at least a photograph.

There will be an analysis of the trip to Yulgilbar, now and what it would have been like for Roberts in the 1890’s, and also a discussion about what we think we know about Yulgilbar now

Humphreys has analysed the pages in (and missing from) Roberts’ sketchbooks (particularly No.6) and compared stories, particularly in Croll and Topliss. He has a considered opinion on the possibility of sketches and paintings being still held in private hands. There is also a family story of the destruction of a Roberts painting/sketch because it did not please the sitter !

Other subjects that will be raised include

• The painting of Billie Millera (PWU), the documentation by Topliss and the possibility of a wild card [Billirimba, Billipimba, Billilimba, et. al.]

• Tom’s horses – Black Bess, Lady Jane, etc.

• Deloraine “tutorials” – “teachings”

• Newbold/Greaves/Fullwood/Copmanhurst

• Description/writings/missing pages

• Major pictures (PWU)

• Brisbane trip (Portrait in Godfrey Rivers’ Studio)

• Exhibition in Brisbane 1890s (twice)

• Sgt. Fraser – quick story

• 1899 – Sketches for album  Edith Walker

• 1902 invited to judge art at Tenterfield Show – had judged at Inverell 1895, but he was overseas. (From memory, Howard Ashton ((not the circus people)) did the job. He went on to be the editor of the Sydney Sun.)

So there are still many stories of Roberts and the Tenterfield district. These should obviously be of interest to the descendants of the early families who occupied the region bounded by Copmanhurst, Wiangaree, Urbenville, Stanthorpe, Bonshaw, Inverell and Glen Innes.