A Clovelly Childhood (contd)

This lovely little oil painting, circa 1960s, is of the house next door to where I grew up in Clovelly. The lady on the steps was an artist and keen gardener, and her husband a work-from-home stockbroker and mountaineer. The local kids (us) called her Leechie and he was Russell and they had no children, but we made up for it, by spending a lot of time in the garden with her. I remember sitting in her studio, with its sharp smell of turps and well-used tubes of oil paints and brushes, while she painted my portrait. I couldn't have been more than three at the time. The painting, together with those of my sisters, hangs on the wall at home in the house on the left side of the steps. Our likenesses are quite remarkable - she must have been very talented.

The personal friend who painted this has captured her stance so perfectly, with the ever-present hat, that it brought back vivid memories of those far-off days, which seem like only yesterday. Although the house has had many owners and alterations in the years since Russell died and Leechie moved to Queenstown to live with her sisters, it remains recognisably this house, as the gable has been left unchanged as well as the garage and driveway. The terraced garden has only changed in that each resident has had their own taste in flowers and shrubs, and the stone paths which meander up the mountainside, incorporating the natural rock features into each level, are also a testament to her artistic touch.

The painting came into our hands through interesting quirks of fate, and it now hangs alongside a similar one of our familial home with our portraits. It is a fitting tribute to a couple who played a huge role in our formative years and brought much joy into my life.