Mary Edwell-Burke in exhibition

Archie 100 celebrates Australia’s famous and forgotten faces in an exhibition at the art gallery of New South Wales in Sydney right now! And one of the paintings is from my relative Mary Edwell – Burke. I would have liked to visit this exhibition and would have flown to Sydney to join. But unfortunately that is not possible at the moment. There is a long story behind. I found out that we are relatives until it was too late to see them in person. Mary also had a half sister Bernice Edwell which also was a great artist.  I had done genealogical research, I knew that several years ago relatives also emigrated to Australia. So I came across the two sisters who both had the same father, Henry Edwell. They had emigrated from England. I really really would have loved to get to know them personally. Sadly no chance. Bernice died in 1962 before I was born. Mary died in 1988, at that point I was 10 years old and didn´t knew nothing of their existence. Great ladies who were ahead of their time. Role models? Definitely!!! Forgotten? Never!

 

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald from June 10th 2021