Neilma Baillieu Gantner (1922–2015) was the second child of Melbourne retailer Sidney Myer and his wife Merlyn. After her marriage ended in the late 1940s, she undertook an Arts degree at Stanford University, majoring in creative writing and publishing the first of her several books in 1959. Her contributions to her family's long association with philanthropy commenced in earnest in 1962, when she funded the construction of a hut in Victoria's high country as a memorial to her eldest son. A co-founder of the Gantner Myer Collection of Australian Aboriginal Art, she served with the Sidney Myer Fund and the Myer Foundation and as an executive of the refugee agency International Social Service. A keen sailor and lover of music, she also established the Four Winds Festival, a program of musical performances held annually at Bermagui, New South Wales, since 1991.
American-born William Kelly is recognised as a humanist, social activist and pacifist. His humanitarian interests are demonstrated by his portraits, which typically are of individuals who have contributed to social change.
Purchased 2022
© William Kelly
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