In honour of the late Father Robert ‘Bob’ Maguire AO RFD – on the first anniversary of his passing today – VicNews is proud to partner with Lourdes Camel Sanctuary and artist Ning ‘Get’ Xun.
Did you know of and love Father Bob? You might be interested in this worthwhile project being launched today on the first anniversary of his passing to honour his memory and help perpetuate his social justice advocacy and care for the disadvantaged.
The Pencil Sketch Portrait of Father Bob by the gifted Chinese artist Get is a striking likeness that captures the essence of this amazing humanitarian.
The portrait will soon be available in a Limited Edition printing of 99 quality copies, each numbered and signed by Get, including a Certificate of Authenticity.
Get’s partner Rod Sayers introduced Get to the legend that is Father Bob AO RFD.
“I came to understand his work, I was filled with admiration for his tireless efforts as a worker for his community, for the downtrodden, the disadvantaged, the homeless,” Get said.
Sadly, Get was not fortunate enough to meet Father Bob but has read about him and seen photographs, many of which capture the humility he showed to the world around him.
“I believe one of his followers said that ‘Father Bob doesn’t preach religion, he preaches humanity’,” Get said.
Sally Millard, who founded Lourdes Camel Sanctuary with Father Bob at Mt Lonarch, was overwhelmed with pride when she saw Get’s sketch portrait.
“What an amazing portrait and [I] am absolutely speechless and humbled at Get & Rod’s offer.
“I’m not sure that I have enough words in my vocabulary to convey my gratitude at their kindness. They are truly ‘Bob Squad’ material,” Millard said.
“I chose one of the later year photographs of Father Bob and created a pencil sketch which I hope captures the essence of the man known for his social justice advocacy and care for the disadvantaged members of society,” Get said.
It is planned, but not finalised, that the original framed print – with a starting value of $3,000 – will be raffled off or auctioned. All proceeds of the sale will be donated to Lourdes Camel Sanctuary to continue Father Bob’s legacy of helping others get over the ‘humps’ of life.
The original will be gifted to the Lourdes Camel Sanctuary for auction or raffle with 99 limited-edition prints for sale with a portion of each sale going to the Sanctuary as Get’s contribution to Father Bob’s legacy.
The price of each Pencil Sketch Portrait of Father Bob print will be:
- Wooden Framed Print $270;
- Metal Framed Print $299
Forty dollars ($40) from each sale will be donated to Lourdes Camel Sanctuary to carry on Father Bob’s work.
Father Bob is well known for his outreach work in Melbourne, Australia for the homeless and those ‘down on their luck’. He has worked with criminals, addicts, the young and the old and everyone in between.
Get has been a freelance artist for the past 20 years, creating artworks in different mediums and genres.
This part of her career followed a period as a costume designer where she designed Chinese traditional silk and ethnic garments and costumes for the Beijing Opera and private clients.
Over the past five years, Get has travelled to Australia, the UK and Thailand with her partner, Rod Sayers, visiting many galleries, museums, and historic sights.
Sally Millard, in partnership with Father Bob, founded the Lourdes Camel Sanctuary as a rural retreat and a way to get youth engaged in other activities away from the temptations of Melbourne.
“Here’s to Father Bob, The People’s Priest, The Larrikin Priest, one of the funniest, most humble, generous all-round good blokes, a bloke who just happened to be a priest.
“As Father Bob would have answered: ‘Thanks, comrades’,” Get said.
