My Grandpop, Frank Leonard Kelf was a furniture designer and an artist in his retirement. Memories of winding down the mountain at the end of a long trip to his home among the trees at Pearl Beach before it was posh, resonate with me.
After a snack, we sat in his lounge room, looking at family photos and took a walk to the beach before a sneaky look in his studio out the back. Let’s say some of the paintings were risqué and probably not suitable for our little eyes. The lady draped over the tiger rug was a painting I remember well and “The Pearl of Pearl Beach” was a very bold picture in hues of blue. I remember he loved a big canvas and "Pearl" was draped over rock on the shore line of Pearl Beach with not much else, thus leaving not much to the imagination. Another memory is the large-scale flamenco dancer in the traditional red dress which took up the whole of the external side panel of the carport. Everyone in the leafy street saw that one. It was one of his masterpieces .
Once, I believe, he painted the inside of his local pub in Ettalong with a full-scale mural of Brisbane Waters. Unfortunately by the time I chased it up it was gone in a decor update. In 1981 he died and his place was put up for sale. His wife downsized and it seems all his paintings were disposed of.
I guess a few may have been distributed amongst the extended family. We had a few of his paintings at home which have been further distributed amongst the family as each of the grandchildren has bought houses etc. His passions were portraits and landscapes but he also painted sailing themes harking back to his days in Greater Yarmouth.
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| Aboriginal Painting by F Kelf |
One-day, he gifted us with a small portrait for each of our bedrooms. One he explained he painted after sketching a character called Mandy from the 1950s black-and-white movie. She had on the trademark red dress. She resembled my sister and I with our mid length medium brown hair. Later it moved to my daughters’ bedrooms and later the grandchildren‘s rooms. My brother Paul still treasures his traditional aboriginal painting which adorned his bedroom. Maybe a bit out of fashion in these woke times.
"Mandy" painted circa 1960s
Recently at a family function, one of my daughters asked where “the girl” was. She revealed she had had a dream that there was money stashed in the back of the Mandy painting! The girls and the grandchildren couldn’t rip open the frame and backing fast enough. Anticipating the best surprise, alas they were sadly disappointed there was no money. They may have checked out the back of a couple of other old frames in their quest.
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| Vicki checking the back of the painting for any stashed money |
I’ve looked at this painting for over 60 years and it’s time for a new owner. Just over a year ago my cousin’s granddaughter, Charlotte was born. Seeing her is like looking at little Mandy in the painting. I know just the person to gift have that painting to for safe keeping minus ant treasure. Little Charlotte has the provenance and a painting by her 2x great grandfather but she’ll need a new frame!
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| "F KELF" Painting of our holiday home at Empire Bay |
Born in 1894 in Greater Yarmouth, Norfolk, Frank was educated at King Edward VII Grammar School Norwich. He left England for Australia in 1914 at the age of 17. War was declared as he left the docks. Initially, he was too young to join the war effort but in Melbourne he studied as a naval engineer, put his age up to 21 and enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy in August 1915 serving five years. He died 30/11/1981 on the Central Coast NSW Australia.
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| Frank and Merrie Kelf - not far from the carport mural 1981 |
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