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Nichol, ElsieLIFE MEMBER There
was
art
in
Elsie
Nichol’s
family
going
back
three
generations
to
her
Great‐Great
Grand father
who
was
not
a
‘Sunday
Painter’
but
a
serious
artist
in
Queen
Victorian
times.
Elsie’s
family
had
always
hoped
to
see
this
ability
emerge
in
their
own
offspring
but
it
was
only
Elsie
who received
this
talent.
When
a
baby
of
14
months,
she
would
pull
a
door mat
from
its
place
and
make
patterns
in
the
dust
with
her
tongue.
Her
parents,
realising
her
talent
then
bought
crayons
for
her.
This
talent
has
not
emerged
again
in
her
family.
Elsie
was
born
in
Christchurch
in
1930
the
family
moving
to
Wellington 5
years
later.
She worked with her father, a dentist, as nurse until his retirement and Elsie married Bill, from a Southland sheep farming family, who died in 1970. The couple had raised three children; Young Bill and twin girls, Silvia and Christine. The family lived in Melrose until moving to Kilbirnie Crescent in 2003. Elsie was educated at Marsden College, but her daughters attended Wellington East College. She believes State education can’t be bettered. Her son works for Fontera while Sylvia, a scientist, has been to Antarctica for NIWA (National Institute for Water and Atmosphere). Christine, a nurse, assists at Scorching Bay School and is organist at All saints Church in Hataitai. Elsie has five grandchildren. Club MemoriesShe and Anne Radford attended St Jude’s Church in Lyall Bay together and Anne encouraged Elsie to come to the Monday Night group in 1972. The club was then situated in the Miramar Fire Station (now Miramar Library) and members included George Linklater, George Short, John Steven, Lorna Hewitt and Rosemary Mawby.Elsie became tutor for the group at a later stage, taking over the role from Anne Radford. Most of the group were retired so they moved to Friday afternoons. “It was great fun,” - recalls Elsie. “We had a speaker once a month such as Neville Lodge, Sister Julia Lynch or members from the Academy and occasionally a theme night such as Gay Paree or to do with the sea where the rooms were decorated and members would dress in appropriate costume. We also had nights where members would criticize other’s paintings. It was just a wonderful period.” Preferring Acrylic, Elsie works in a traditional style and is not influenced by any artist. “I just draw” she says. “I don’t think about style and have never tried abstract.” Elsie went on the committee in 1977, was Vice President in 1992 and the President of the club for three years 2001–2003. She considers being made a Life Member in May 2008 a tremendous compliment. “There are others who should have been asked before me” - she says. Artist Len Maxim, Elsie’s partner since 2002 says Elsie was always helpful to emerging artists, never under a strain and always able to get sitters for portraiture, even to the point of approaching. |