Aug 27, 2018
Dick Gall
May Gibbs “Nutcote” as an essential part in the North Sydney community

Cecilia May Gibbs was born in England in 1877.  May was the daughter of talented amateur artists who migrated to Australia in 1881 and who later arranged for her formal art training in London.  Being a single woman in a male-dominated field she initially turned her hand to any market for sketches or paintings to support herself.  May’s love of the Australian bush grew from her happy childhood in WA.  It manifested itself in her series of books, cartoons and short stories of which “Snugglepot and Cuddlepie” is the most famous having been in the bookshops continuously since 1918.

Through a series of illustrations, we will follow May’s training in London and her lifestyle after she returned to Australia in 1913 and settled in Neutral Bay eventually designing her own home, Nutcote, in conjunction with popular Sydney architect B J Waterhouse in 1924/5.

Dick Gall is a retired Mechanical Engineer who has worked at May Gibbs former home Nutcote in Neutral Bay as handyman/gardener for about eighteen years.  Prior to retirement Dick worked for a major food company as Purchasing Manager specialising in procurement of food ingredients from overseas manufacturers.  This exposure lead to some overseas travel which Dick and his wife now enjoy in a private capacity along with their local volunteering activities.  At the North Sydney Council's Australian Citizenship ceremony in 2012 Dick was honoured with the council's award of Citizen of the Year for his volunteer efforts at Nutcote.