Spinks Park, Lismore by Allister Greig

In the midst of a warm Boxing Day (mid 30s), Michelle and I headed to the air conditioned comfort of Lismore Shopping Square. As well as being a physically cool place to visit, it’s also a good spot for running into the extended family.

“I found a tray I thought you might like”, my cousin Julie told me. I remembered the tray from my childhood, though I haven’t seen it for many years. After my mum and dad died, I moved out of our family home, though my grandmother and uncle continued to live there for many years. Many of my childhood memories are now with other family members, as was this “tray”.

Seeking furhter information, I put the image on the Facebook Group, “The Good Old Days Of Lismore”. So far, the only “breakthrough” has been the discovery of an artists signature on the bottom right hand corner. I couldn’t see it at first, though someone with “younger eyes” spotted it.

So, who was Allister Greg?

“Allister Greig was a South Australian-born commercial artist who served in the first AIF and was a civilian internee in Singapore from 1942 to 1945. He was an amateur magician and was caught by prison guards performing magic tricks for POWs in Changi. The guards thought he was making secret signals, and put him into solitary confinement as punishment. In these cells, originally intended for Asiatic prisoners, three Europeans were forced to live in isolation for 22 months before being transferred to Sime Road Internment Camp’ . (Australian War Memorial)

This is a history of his life I’ve been able to bring together over a couple of hours of Google research.

Born in Wallaroo, South Australia (22/02/1898), “he came to Perth with his parents when he was six, went to Christian Brothers’ College. As an electrician he worked on many buildings in the city, in cluding the now non-existent Pa vilion Theatre and Esplanade Gardens. He joined the Australian Army in 1917, was stationed at. Fremantle forts.  (Daily News, Perth, p5 on 23/11/45)

“As a child of 11,…(he) lost the sight of one eye.  As a boy he always had a liking for lettering, was for 51/2 years ticket writing with Foy and Gibsons. Later he was an electrician and engineer. It was not until he was a prisoner of the Japs that he took to painting pictures. (Daily News, Perth, p5 on 23/11/45)

In 1918, he was employed as the Stage Manager at the Midland Junction Town Hall in Perth. (Swan Express p3 on 21/06/18) 

He married Emma Liddell (Taylor) on November 25, 1922 in West Leederville.

In 1929, he was living at 90 Kimberley Street, West Leederville, and owned a car, an Essex Sedan. (West Australian  p6 on 31/10/29)

He was employed as the presentation manager of the Temple Court Cabaret (later to become the Capitol Theatre) in Perth. (Kalgoorlie Miner, p1, 28/06/35)

By 1934, he is confirmed as living in Kalgoorlie, where he staged a “Big Dancing Adventure” at the new Palais Theatre.  (Kalgoorlie Miner, p6 on 12/06/34). A nd in 1935, he was responsible for the lightning and presentation for a stage band concert at the Kalgoorlie Town Hall (Kalgoorlie Miner, p 3 on 12/07/35).

After being employed on the goldfields with the de Bernales mining group, Mr Greig went to Malaya in 1937 for a tin mining company. 

He was on leave with his wife and daughter in W.A. in 1940, returned to Malaya in April, 1941. Because of the war situation, his daughter was not allowed to return with them. He sent his wife back to Perth in September that year but she return ed with their daughter on November 25, anniversary of their wedding. After surviving the bombing of Singapore, mother and daughter were able to leave but Mr Greig was cap tured by the Japs and sent to Changi, where he was a prisoner for 22 months and where he met the British painters with whom he studied. (Daily News, Perth, p5 on 23/11/45)

In November 1945, an exhibtion of his paintings was held at Trinity (??) in Perth. A few days later it was reported “Two watercolours painted in Changi prison by Mr Allister Greig are to be presented to the Perth Art Gallery. The pcitres are ‘Malay House, Kampar’ and ‘East Monsoon’ which were included in the exhibition of his work during the past three days in Trinity When he arrived in Perth recently Mr Greig said that he would present two of his pictures, if acceptable, to the trustees of the Art Gallery. Employed by a Malayan tin-mining company when war broke out, Mr Greig was taken prisoner and interned first in Changi, then in Sime Road camp.” (Daily News, Perth  p6 on 30/11/45)

On January 23 1946, an exhibition of his water colours opened at John Martin’s Art Gallery in Adelaide, which the was attended by ” people who, like the artist, had lived in Malaya, or who had interests there.” (Adelaide News 25/01/46)

In 1948, an exhibition of his watercolours was opened at Boans  Art Gallery. (Boans was a department store in Perth). The exhibition was opened by the Lord Mayor, Joseph Totterdell who said that Mr. Greig had brought from his travels, “something new, something original” (West Australian, p20 on 30/10/48)

He died 22/09/61 at age 63 and was buried in the Karrakatta Cemetery, Nedlands

As for the artwork , I’m still none the wiser about when or why it was painted. Did he travel around the country, selling paintings to make a living? Was this done remotely based on a photograph? Was it mass produced, or is this one of a kind? If you know anything, please comment below.