Old Graham: Collecting in the bush
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A decision to take “the scenic route” during a drive in the Hilltops region in 1991 saw John and Liz Baker stumble upon something that would spark a new chapter of their lives, and provide a challenge that would consume the better part of two decades.
Somewhere between Cowra and Boorowa, the Bakers found an old homestead – Old Graham—a derelict, stone house with holes in the roof, broken windows and sheep grazing around it.
“John and I had been away in Dubbo for a few days,” says Liz. “We took a back-road home, and just came across a house, that looked really interesting. It was all falling down, so, we stopped to have a look at it and that’s where it all started.”
But ‘having a look’ didn’t exactly go to plan.
“The owner was actually there, and she saw us down near the house and thought we were trying to steal something,” laughs Liz. “We had a good chat with her, and she asked if we wanted to look inside, so we did.”
Old Graham.
Continuing the drive back to Canberra, John and Liz talked of how they’d always wanted to take on a project like that.
The next day John realised they had no way to contact the owner of the house, so he drove all the way back to Old Graham, asking along the road until he found somebody who could give him a phone number. John rang her that night.
The owner said she might be interested in selling it but that she was shearing and to call her in six weeks, laughs Liz. “Eventually we were able to buy it on its original block.”
Originally from the UK, John and Liz embarked on what would become a great adventure of restoration and collecting in order to bring Old Graham back to life, but as Liz puts it, “it was only the beginning!”
John and Liz Baker.
The restoration process took around two years. This included enlisting the expertise of heritage architect Peter Freeman, who was supervising work at Port Arthur in Tasmania at the time, enquiring around Boorowa to find a stone mason to fix up the half-meter thick granite walls and an experienced heritage builder. In the end John and Liz found Bede Morrissey, a country builder from Boorowa who, together with his son, agreed to take on the job.
“They drove up in the ute with their stuff on the back, looked at it and said, ‘what have we let ourselves in for?’”
Liz has done her research into the history of Old Graham, uncovering the story of the family that resided in it. The original owners, Edward and Mary Ann Kerr were both Irish and met in Sydney, eventually marrying at Saint Mary’s Cathedral.
They had 11 children in total, one passing away as a baby, all born in different places along the road between Sydney and Boorowa. Liz thinks Edward worked as a carter–taking goods to a little store across the valley. Luckily for Edward, the benevolent store owner left her land to Edward in her will, for ‘all his kindnesses’.
A map of Old Graham.
On that land, Edward built what would become Old Graham. The original home had seven rooms, which eventually became 10 (a bar, cellar, and sitting room) upon realising that a coach from Sydney to Cowra came along that road.
Finished in May 1884, it was known as Glenco Inn but sadly Edward never got to fully enjoy the fruits of his labours, dying in November that year from a heart attack. Nine months later Mary Ann passed away as a result of alcoholism. But there was happy ending yet for the homestead.
Now, 135 years later, Liz and John have filled Old Graham with items that would have been found on the property of the time, mostly found in antique shops.
The garden of Old Graham.
Liz remembers the time they went to a clearing sale and “bought a box of what you might call junk.” In it was an amateur painting of a building in the bush. John took a liking to it and from there they began collecting similar paintings. They now have around 100 of them.
Sculptures at Old Graham.
“Some of them are absolutely dreadful paintings but if you put them all together that’s how Australians see the buildings in the bush,” says Liz. “They all have corrugated iron rooves, a verandah, chimney, and a gum tree.”
It’s this collection of colonial pieces and Australiana that is currently on show at the Canberra Museum and Gallery as Old Graham: Collecting in the Bush until 30 November.
Items from Old Graham: Collecting in the Bush. Image: Rob Little.
As well as paintings and antique pieces, John and Liz have also accumulated a large collection of modern sculptures, which are displayed in Old Graham’s garden and paddock.
For almost a decade, the Bakers have been associated with the ANU School of Art, donating a scholarship for a student to do their Honours. Each year, John and Liz attend the Graduate Exhibition and buy a sculpture, usually choosing large scale pieces that will survive the outdoors.
See Old Graham for yourself
Old Graham’s standing stones.
Want to experience Old Graham’s homestead, gardens and sculptures in all their glory? The Canberra Museum and Gallery is doing a day bus tour to Old Graham on Saturday 28 September, touring the homestead and the gardens.
The tour leaves Canberra at 8.45 am, returning at 5 pm and travel is by coach. The tour is booking fast and there are only about 10 places left.
Members and concession $65. General admission $75; including lunch. Book your place at cmag.com.au by 9 am Monday 23 September
the essentials
What: Old Graham: Collecting in the Bush
When: Showing until 30 November
Where: Canberra Museum and Gallery, 176 London Circuit, City
Website: cmag.com.au/exhibitions/the-old-graham-collection
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