FIONA HILLARY

By Dave Roberts

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It's funny how many people who talk about peace seem to be really quite warlike in their expression of what they want.

Looking at what some people see and we're protected from, the abject misery that real human beings suffer because war comes to their home, it's easy to see why they'd get upset.

Recently I met an artist who's just finished a three year degree in the visual arts at Edith Cowan Uni, and found that moving from anger to delivering positives has been the important thing for her to learn in the process. Fiona Hillary was at the opening of the ECU graduates exhibition, which has been held annually at the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries, and provided a focused display, centred around a message of peace.

Having done a first degree some time back in politics, and followed it up with post graduate studies in development, she'd learned quite a bit about the third world, and as a result of that knowledge sees herself as having been an angry young woman. That's probably compounded by working with disadvantaged and homeless young people. Easy to see where the grumpy component came from.

Some little while back, Fiona moved to Margaret River with her ex partner who was a winemaker. They had two children (who are now 7 and 4), and set up house in the centre of the world. Having left the rest of her family in South Australia, Fiona was essentially without the tribal supports that we'd all like to lean on. Margaret River has provided a surrogate family, a bunch of chosen, non judgemental, accepting people that support, love and generally do the things that make life a joy rather than a harsh progression of days.

Margaret River has seen some difficult times, but has been a source of many good things.

The degree course she's just been involved with, along with with some other self discovery has brought about a more mature and gentle Fiona Hillary, new methods but the same commitments. With an 18 year old neice a couple of years back, Fiona made a pact to search out , explore and seek after happiness and the things that make her happy. At the same time she started working through a bunch of the things that were inside her as part of the work of getting the degree.

The result is a woman who has worked through what was essentially anger at the state of the world, and has found that reflecting peace is a much more useful way of bringing some to the world. She's been able to find a more positive place to live in, and isn't as prone to beating people with a message about what's wrong, preferring to interact with those viewing her art, and draw them into at least a moment to think about their own involvements.

So how does an artist make a living? Fiona's background includes adult education, so she is involved in teaching at TAFE, delivering printmaking at Margaret River and Busselton . There's always something to do, and recently she's scored a gig as the offsider to the Cultural Development Officer at the City of Bunbury. It's two days a week and it's a clue to how the woman works that she's happy to take a part time job and do what needs to be done without actually getting a job title. Fiona is clear that she is a practicing artist, but it seems apparent to me that she's also interested in how to contribute to the South West however she can. There's the significant matter of two young people to bring up, and if you can get that job right, you're making a difference.

The art at the exhibition showed some of the notion of inclusiveness. The double bed "tribute to John and Yoko" was a favourite, and as people take their own photos to throw into the bed, it continues to grow, and more people feel they've got a connection to the whole "give peace a chance" moment. Interestingly, Fiona Hillary figures that John Lennon will always be famous for being Yoko Ono's husband, citing Yoko as one of her great influences, and putting her at the top of the list of the people she'd have to dinner.

Being a sucker for the message myself, I rose to the challenge. Fiona had left postcards for viewers at the exhibition to take, and write their own message of peace before mailing them (preaddressed) to Kofi Annan at the United Nations. It's nearly Christmas, and the message of the angels was "peace on earth, goodwill to all", so South West Life is trying to help out. Fiona's putting together an electronic version of her postcard, which should appear below within days. Clicking on the link will generate a postcard for Kofi, and you can put your own message of goodwill to him. It comes from here, but what you say is up to you.

Interested in seeing the work? It's on at the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries for the next few weeks.