A BOY was so inspired by a luxury car, a Rolls Royce, on the esplanade at Dromana in 1914 that it led to him becoming America’s most celebrated motor car illustrator.
A new book The Larger Than Life of Melbourne Brindle being launched at Dromana Primary School on Friday traces Ewart Melbourne Brindle’s career after seeing that Rolls Royce on the esplanade.
Arthur and Grace Brindle settled in Dromana in 1905 with their young family and built Sunnyside, not far from the school which the children attended.
A renowned decorator and artist Arthur sailed to America to work on the Panama Pacific Expo in San Francisco in 1914.
World War I intervened, preventing the family from joining him until it ended. The Launch of the book coincides with the date Grace Brindle and her family left Dromana to reunite with Arthur in the United States 105 years ago.
Retired journalist Fred Wild, of Rye, has been researching the artist since “discovering” him in the lead up to the school’s 150 birthday celebrations in 2011.
“I discovered online hundreds of car ads – Packard in particular, magazine covers, US postage stamps and his giant Twenty Silver Ghosts book,” Wild said.
“I made a PowerPoint show about him for the school’s 150th celebrations but it didn’t end there.
“I continued to get information about Brindle from his contacts in America and local relatives and before long I realised I had more than enough information to warrant a book.”
In the years since the school function, an art gallery dedicated to Brindle’s Silver Ghosts has been established in a Rolls Royce Museum in Massachusetts featuring among many others the Silver Ghost he first saw in Dromana.
The Dromana and District Historical Society has taken possession of his giant Silver Ghosts book and memorabilia that featured in his ads and paintings, much of which will be on display at the launch of Wild’s book.
The Larger Than Life of Melbourne Brindle launch will be held in the newly opened school giving residents an opportunity to see the improvements for themselves. Former principal of the school Ray Robertson will be the MC.
“Like me, Brindle never lost his love for the Dromana school and I’m sure he couldn’t think of a better place to finally be recognised for his artistic achievements,” Wild said.
The book has been produced by the historical Society and the launch will be held at 7pm on Friday 17 November.
“Everyone is invited,” Wild said.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 14 November 2023
