Brenda Niall, the Boyds
Journal article by Rick Rutjens; Journal of Australian Studies, No. 77, 2003
Journal Article Excerpt
Brenda Niall, The Boyds. by Rick Rutjens Melbourne University Press, 2002, pp 514, 38 colour plates, 95 b&w illustrations, hb $49.95. ISBN 0522848710. From the outset let it be said that The Boyds is extraordinary. This book is the culmination of years of research into the family that has become Australia's most remarkable artistic dynasty. Niall's work is as accomplished in its writing and structure as it is in scope. Tackling a subject this broad, the most difficult issue would no doubt have been limiting it to a reasonable size and discovering some way to contain the sprawling stories within a cohesive narrative. Niall has accomplished both admirably. Niall picks up the story of the Boyd family as the various forebears arrive in Australia. In the first chapter she follows each of the arrivals--Convict, Judge, Squatter, Soldier--as a way of introducing the seeds of the book. The way that these four men (John Mills, William a Beckett, Major Alexander Boyd and Dr Robert Martin) are written about sets the pattern for the remainder of The Boyds. Each of the men is described in a way that not only gives life to their characters, they are also intrinsically tied to their 'places'. It is this correlation between person and place, subject and locale that allows Niall to give the narrative a solid structure from which to spring. It is vital that the story begin with this generation of immigrant men, as it is the good fortune of John Mills that is the catalyst for all that follows. After being transported as a convict, Mills managed to establish Melbourne's first brewery. The Melbourne Brewery made Mills a wealthy man and it was his wealth that funded the generations of artists through their development and difficult financial straits. Without this money (inherited by his daughter Emma, whose daughter Emma Minnie married Arthur Merric Boyd) there may not have been the freedom to pursue their various--frivolous?--artistic endeavours. Throughout Emma's life she doled out generous amounts of cash to her children and their partners, supporting their every whim. Perhaps their talent and endeavour would have emerged regardless, but the lack of financial accountability certainly freed this generation to indulge their talents, establishing an artistic mindset that has endured through subsequent generations. Many of the descendants of Emma Minnie a Beckett and Arthur Merric Boyd, themselves both painters, are renowned artists from a range of fields. Among them are potters, painters, writers, sculptors and architects spread across five generations. Emma Minnie and Arthur Merric's children--Merric (potter, who married painter Doris Gough), Penleigh (painter, who married another painter, Edith Anderson), Martin (writer) and Helen (painter)--were all artistic. The next generation included Penleigh's son Robin (architect and writer) and Merric's remarkable children: Arthur (painter, who married painter Yvonne Lennie), David (painter and potter, who married ceramic artist Hermia Lloyd-Jones), Guy (sculptor), Lucy (potter, who married fellow potter Hatton Beck) and Mary (painter, who married first John Perceval and later Sidney Nolan). Is it any wonder that the next generation of Boyds, Becks and Percevals and their children in turn have continued to follow the family's artistic bent? Niall's achievement is all the more remarkable when one considers the number of prominent characters. There is no significant member of the Boyd clan ignored or neglected as the narrative moves from house to house, place to place. Given that there are so many stories to be told, the reader is aided in envisaging the people and places by the copious photographs and illustrations. The Boyds is a grand feat of writing and research, a credit to Niall and a fitting record of the achievements of this family whose endeavours have contributed so much to the Australian cultural landscape. Rick Rutjens Monash University -1- |
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