The Art of Writing
The name Peninsula Arts Society is a bit of a problem for the spelling or hearing challenged. Two consecutive A’s and S’s are a recipe for emails lost in cyberspace and PAS website visitors landing on the shores of some far flung foreign peninsula. You could decry the fact that the group of distinguished local artists who founded PAS were a little lax in forward planning. But then it was 72 years ago. Thank heavens for acronyms.
Which brings me to the question: why are we called Peninsula Arts Society instead of Peninsula Art Society? Did our founding fathers (seems the founding mothers were busy washing the men folk’s dishes) think that a reference to ‘The Arts’ simply sounded more high brow?
Or did it reflect what an inclusive and eclectic group these male and female artists were? Their early exhibitions featured a wide range of visual arts – paintings certainly, but also sculpture, ceramics, cartoons, drawing, etching and textile art. Vive the PAS Textile Group.
What’s more, one founding member, a Langwarrin local by the name of Neville Shute Norway, was also a best-selling British-Australian novelist. Neville Shute’s books, no doubt beloved by many of your parents, maybe some of you, include A Town Like Alice, Beyond the Black Stump and On the Beach. Frankston briefly hosted Hollywood in 1959 when On the Beach became a movie starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner, with scenes shot at Frankston Station and Canadian Bay Beach in Mt Eliza.
During the 50s a Film Group and a Music Appreciation Group also made their debut within PAS and members enjoyed Sunday afternoon concerts in the PAS studio located on the upper floor of the Pier Hotel. In 1958 Bertha Bennett (only child of General Sir John Monash and Lady Monash) cast aside her pinnie, and along with a couple of other liberated ladies, initiated a Literary Group within PAS.
The Literary thread persisted, or perhaps resurfaced, through the decades. Certainly I recall, from at least 2012, a dedicated group of writers and would-be writers huddled together once a month in the PAS Resource/Meeting room, exchanging stories, tips, feedback, inspiration and camaraderie.
Somehow, like many good things, the Writing Group slowly passed into oblivion during COVID. At the risk of triggering post COVID trauma, take a look at this timely example of work from ex President Ruth Quinn, inspired by her enthusiastic participation in that Group: https://peninsulaartssociety.org.au/poem-by-ruth-quinn-pas-w…
Wouldn’t it be good to be true to our name and history and revive the lost art of writing within the Peninsula Arts Society? Surely amongst our vast membership there lurks a scribe or two who would enjoy nothing more than sharing their passion for the written word with others. If this idea resonates with you, please put virtual pen to paper and email us at info@peninsulaarts.org.au. Watch your spelling! Although we ditched the second s it’s still tricky.
Leoni Jenkin
On Bunurong Country – Art and Design in Frankston – book cover
Thanks to Jane Eckett for the snippets of PAS history sourced from On Bunurong Country, Art and Design in Frankston, a publication by McClelland Gallery, and available in the PAS Library.
Much of Jane’s research material came from the PAS archives which are in dire need of proper management. Any aspiring historians out there?
Please get in touch if you’re interested at info@peninsulaarts.org.au.
On Bunurong Country: Art and Design in Frankston – book launch 2023. [L-R] author JaneEckett, PAS past President Ruth Quinn, PAS past President Margot O’Neil and author Bronwyn Hughes. Wall hanging with textile art in the background titled ”Walking the Bunurong Land” – created by the PAS Textile Group. Photo: Leoni Jenkin