Wishing You All A Very Merry Christmas From The East End Gallery...

We are undergoing really major changes as a Gallery for the first time in years. As our 11th birthday approaches on 19 December, we are planning an utterly new look for the East End Gallery in 2026. We are, regrettably, parting with art pieces that we have been nurturing for quite a long time. We have decided to return to basics, to support and promote Wheatbelt artists as our primary purpose. We also have ongoing relationships with other artists who have connections with us and the Wheatbelt and have proven their salability, so they are also remaining, given their track record.

In the meantime, the East End Gallery still has plenty of fabulous artworks that are all perfect as Christmas gifts for that Special Somebody (or... for yourself!) We have a specific Christmas table groaning with all manner of quirky and interesting art, and we guarantee our guests can find a present for that most difficult of friends or relatives! Don't take my word for that - come out and see us before 22 December. 

So, we have hatched a cunning plan for the future of the East End Gallery. We feel we have lost the intimacy that we loved in the early days of the East End Gallery. Time to get that sense back! The East End Gallery will move into the eastern side of the Forbes Building and still provide 90 square metres of amazing art space. 

Bec, our wonderful jeweller, silversmith,  metal artisan, abstract artist and irreplaceable addition to the East End Gallery will be moving her studio into the south western side of the new look Gallery. I will be moving my desk to the south eastern side. Marion will remain in her current artist's studio, continuing to create wonderful paintings, fantastic sculptures and running her classes. For anybody who would like to explore and improve their skills in every painting media, Marion is the go-to art teacher.

Michael is remaining in his studio and workshop behind the Gallery. He will continue as a story teller in metal, an innovative and exceptionally skilled sculptor, whose works emanate from his soul. During 2025, he entered and won accolades in both the York and Northam Art Awards. The York Art and Craft Awards were probably the most satisfying - named Avon Valley Artist for 2025. The look on his face at the announcement of this achievement will stay with me forever! 

Our plans for the remainder of the space? After a great deal of discussion with other artists and much thought, we have decided to establish (drum roll please) - 

The East End Gallery Artists' Residencies - 

starting from this coming March!

Our Residencies will work as 2 weeks each month available for artists in March, April, May, October, November and December 2026. We are also offering a 12 week Residency from 15 June to 7 September, or artists each having a 6 week Residency.

Our 2 week Residency package includes extremely pleasant accommodation in our guest suite at our home directly behind the East End Gallery, featuring a queen sized bedroom with quality linen, reverse cycle airconditioning, a dining nook, own bathroom, kitchenette, courtyard, entry and carport.

The 6 or 12 week Residencies will offer two bedrooms, one bathroom, reverse cycle airconditioning, spacious living, dining and kitchen areas, 2 carports and 3 private courtyards - the majority of Station House - at 6 Anzac Lane Beverley. The 6 or 12 week Residencies would suit an artist couple and an additional artist in the second bedroom or 2 artists each having a bedroom.

All the Residencies are self-catering. Artists will have access to a washing machine, indoor and outdoor lines. The only requirement during the longer Residencies would be feeding our cat, Chop and watering the courtyards. 

Every artist participating in our Residencies will have the opportunity to interact with our other artists on site at the Gallery, display and sell their artworks, hold workshops or demonstrations as they see fit, engage with the Beverley community and have a comfortable space to explore and undertake their personal projects.

All our artists will have access to the communal tea and coffee space at the rear of the studio, which includes a sink, all beverage making items and a communal table and seating.

A current Police Clearance, 2 referees and a CV is all we require to secure a Residency position. We welcome artists at any stage of their journey - from novices to established. 

The package for our Residencies will be $250 per week for our guest suite and large studio space in the Forbes Building.  Residencies for the 2 bedrooms in Station House and the same studio space will be $350 per week. The studio space is approximately 10 x 4 metres and including hanging rails to display your own art pieces.

Inquiries for our Residencies are open as of now.  The closing date for 2026 Residencies is currently 31 January 2026. This closing date is subject to change, depending on interest. A deposit of $125 (non refundable is you cancel) is required to hold our artisans' choice of dates, studio space and specific accommodation for the 2 week Residencies and $300 (non refundable if you cancel) for the 6 or 12 week Residencies. We expect our artists to leave their accommodation as they find it, so will be charging a $100 refundable bond for the 2 week residencies and $300 refundable bond for the 6 or 12 week Residencies..

I shall be releasing the East End Gallery Residency form in the next two weeks. However, all artists are welcome to touch base with us and secure a spot as of now. We will also establish a waiting list for artists in case of a cancellation.

For more information, please contact me - Kate Sofoulis - on 0414 255 781 or by emailing thewifofsif@gmail.com 

In the meantime, turn your vehicle of choice eastwards and come and see us at the East End Gallery. We are located at 116 Vincent Street in the heart of Beverley. If you are an artist, you can view our space and better still, stock up for Christmas until 22 December. Whilst we are renovating the spaces, artists may make an appointment to visit and view the studio space throughout January 2026.

    We look forward to meeting you all! 

The East End Gallery as of 10 December 2025 -

 

 

Coptic bound books by Dianne Strahan... 

 

 

Florian Schroeter's glass on rocks... 

 Di Mainwaring's rustling farm animals and brass kettle with flowers...

 

 

Valerie Rose's embroided cushion... 

 

 

Cards and fridge magnets... 

 

 

Carole Morphett... 

 

 

Michelle Currie... 

 

 

Alan Pickering...

 

 

 

Christmas table -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dorothy Lullfitz... 

 

 

Sharon Williams... 

 

 

Pauline Lakstins... 

 

 

 

Michael Sofoulis and Nichole Lubcke.

 

 

 

 

 

 Guest suite bathroom...

 

 

Beautiful queen bed suite with quality linen and pillows... 

 

 

Dining nook and wardrobe...

 

 

 

Fully stocked kitchenette... 

 

 

Fridge, sink and kettle... 

 

 

View westwards inside our Guest Suite...

 

 

 

Private courtyard...

 

 

 

Looking north into the private carport... 

 

 

Looking south showing the private entry into the Guest Suite... 

 

 

 

The studio space will will be emptied for your Residency...

 

 

 

View from Vincent Street into the Residency studio space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Now For Something Completely Different - Plain Tales From The Toilet.

A very long time ago, I read a book of stories detailing British rule in India during their final decades in the twentieth century. That book was titled "Plain Tales From The Raj" and documented life in a simple and often nostalgic way. The "plain" reality  of their lives included daily routines, travelling to the Hill Country to escape the summer heat, the vital position of the "ayah" for the children and all the other servants, the social life and British bureaucracy. The book did not shy away from the difficulties often experienced by the Anglo-Indians. as well as the racial barriers and segregation faced by the majority of the Indian population. However, "Plain Tales From The Raj" was a wonderful read, definitely a book one might leave in the toilet for those times an extended sit might be on the cards. 

Most Australians I know have generally easy-going relationships with their toilets, which remain functional devices for specific purposes, but may also be a refuge from small children, a chance to gather one's thoughts, create scathingly brilliant ideas, enjoy a game on one's phone, the next chapter of a book or just quiet time.

Originally, having a wee or a poo might involve sitting or standing at a structure over a hole in the ground just next to your humpy or tent or simple structure made out of whatever material was at hand - hessian, scavenged scrap or corrugated iron. As houses grew, the introduction of outdoor dunnies became all the rage, situated at the rear of the properties so that the "night soil men" operating the night carts in lanes could collect all the daily human waste in its pan through a external flap and replacing with a clean pan for the following day. The seat and pan underneath were also referred to as "a thunderbox" with the whole structure known as "the dunny". Toilet paper was virtually non existent, with squares of newspaper or the phone-book hung on a hook within the confines of the dunny. Some toilets had neither a roof nor a door, illustrating that yesterday's Australians were certainly not squeamish about being discovered in the midst of necessary bodily functions.

Toilets in Australia have also been known the loo, the bog, the crapper, the shithouse, the lav or more formally the W.C. (water closet). A favourite nickname for one was coined by my first husband. Our toilet, situated in our half of an elderly Queenslander (house on stilts) uttered a deep and prolonged guttural noise whilst flushing and was thenceforth known as the crogan. 

I must admit to rather intense irritation when Australians declare that they are off to "the bathroom". Really? A good friend of ours was reminiscing, as a young child just arrived from the U.K., asking where the bathroom in the house was during a visit to an Australian family, She was promptly shown the bathroom, which didn't help her cause, as what she really needed was a wee...

I blame Americans for this outcome. They have no problem with the right to bear arms, and using those arms on an extremely frequent basis, yet they could not cope with an episode of "Bluey" when Bandit lets rip a fart, known much more gently as a fluff in this magnificent children's animated series. Another great Australian fart scene is during a wonderful movie called "The Sum Of Us", featuring Jack Thompson and a young Russell Crowe, when Jack's character, who has suffered a stroke, nevertheless continues narrating to the audience whilst plonked on the loo and also lets fly a most impressive fart. The Americans seem to have completely lost touch with that famous fart scene in "Blazing Saddles", released in 1974, now regarding the mention any bodily functions (sometimes even including breastfeeding) as Topics Not To Be Mentioned.

Returning to the argument at hand - like our friend Jen, who does one do upon asking for the bathroom if there is no toilet in there? Drop your drawers in the bath? Balance perilously above the vanity basin? Retreat in shame to ask awkwardly for the actual toilet?  Would not the whole process be so much simpler if we all just accepted that a toilet is a toilet and the bathroom is the bathroom? Certainly, there are sometimes toilets placed within the confines of bathrooms, but not always. In fact, during the 1950s,1960s and 1970s, Australian houses often consisted of two bedrooms, with a "sleepout" often becoming the third bedroom and the toilet was located in or adjacent to the laundry. Nowhere near the bathroom.

I fear I may be fighting a losing battle with the encroaching Americanisation of our lives but I will not go down without a fight. If I ever hear myself asking to go to the bathroom, I swear that I will have lost my marbles and I should immediately be removed to the funny farm as quickly as possible.

The end. 

 

 

An excellent addition to any toilet library....

 

 

 

The "Family Meeting" episode which discusses Bandit's "fluff"...

 

 

Jack Thompson and Russell Crowe in the "Sum Of Us". The fart scene was not discoverable through Google...

 

 

Unbelievable... 

 

 

 

 

 

Sophisticated outdoor dunny...

 

 

 

With the door shut...

 

 

 

Without a door!

 

 

 

Suburban Brisbane houses with backyard dunnies - 1960s...(I kid you not)

 

The toilet finally comes inside, next to the laundry...

 

 

Very modern bathroom...with chair, but, where's the loo?!

 

 

Americans DO have toilets! The difference? I suspect the way the way the water swirls inside the pan. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Had A Daughter Once...

She turned 40 years of age two days ago. She was such a long-for baby. I had suffered a mid term miscarriage ten months before. I became pregnant almost immediately as my fertility was not an issue. The pregnancy with her was not easy. I bled early on and was terrified I was going to lose another baby to miscarriage.  I was confined to bed-rest for a month and then endued horrendous second term migraines. Eventually, all settled down and the rest of the pregnancy was trouble free until I began labour at 34 weeks gestation.

She was fine for a premmie, apart from becoming tired whilst breast feeding. So, we remained together, learning how to bond, for nearly two weeks. We came home, blissfully, to begin our lives together.

Then we embarked on a nightmare as a family. I gave birth to a little boy who died when he was seven weeks old. My twin girls were stillborn, all before she was three years of age. Finally, we welcomed a live baby boy as her sibling when she was almost three and a half years of age.

A surprise package in the form of another brother arrived two years later. She did not bond with him well, due to his physical and later other disabilities. In spite of their similarities, she could not build any meaningful relationship with him.

She was never an easy child. She was severely bullied at primary school, but was unable to respond positively to counselling,  as she was far more intelligent that those well meaning school psychologists trying to help her.

We rescued her from difficult accommodation situations at least twice. Usually with less than twenty-four hours notice. She lived in Beverley on and off, with us or with  a mutual friend, for a while.  

She possessed a brilliant mind,  which actually was the catalyst for so many of her issues. She achieved a Masters at uni and was working towards a second Masters when disaster struck in the from of COVID19.

Her world, I believed, collapsed. So, she needed to blame somebody and I was an easy target. She tried to take out a VRO (Violence Restraining Order) against me. That didn't pass mustard, so instead I was issued with a summons for a Conduct Order. That was one of the most horrendous processes ever in my life, called a Shuttle Conference  Callum supported me through this truly dreadful day. All based on lies that my posts about her on this blog prevented her from becoming employed. A simple search on LinkedIn confirmed that she had not been unemployed when she stated she had been and had nothing to do with any post I had written about her.

The Conduct Order demanded I removed every piece, every photo and even the mention of her name from this blog. That was one of the most emotion driven tasks I have ever undertaken. And not contact her in any way, shape or form for twelve months. 

But her revenge, and I use that word quite deliberately, was not yet over. We were summoned back five months later as she had requested an extension to the Conduct Order. We waited, distraught for four hours in the stark and soulless Magistrates Court waiting room until the procedure was dismissed due to her non-attendance.  

The worst part of this tragedy is that she had chosen to take Michael's surname as her own. He could not cope with her attempted destruction of me, so he finished their relationship. 

If any of Michael's biological children choose to criticise him, (as sometimes they do read my posts and make miserable comments) I shall invite them to put their money where their mouths are and come and see him. Face to face and talk to him. Otherwise I will just have the confirmation that they are just bullies and cowards. 

Most of the time, these days, I cope what she did to us. She is on her own journey and I can't join her. My greatest sadness is that she has cut herself off from her family. I hope she has found happiness in her own way. And in spite of all this, I still wish her well for her future.