Emu Vale artist Amelia Willmer specialises in oil paintings of Australian landscapes and true-to-life portraiture. She graduated with high distinctions from the Queensland College of Art in 2017 and was shortlisted for the prestigious national art competition, The Gallipoli Art Prize.
If you could spend 24 hours anywhere, any year, where would you choose?
When I was little, I used to dream of being accidentally locked in overnight at the Twisties factory. Now? Well, you could never tire of Paris or Rome but the Ghan or the Indian Pacific would be more leisurely and indulgent.
What is something people may not know about you?
I am a really good pool player. My teenage grandsons are yet to beat me. I can thank my late Father for this skill. He taught me how to play billiards and snooker when I was tall enough to see over the table.
How do you relax after a long day?
Watch the local TV news, ABC News, 7.30 Report – (Like All-Bran for your head) followed by Mars-Bar-For-The- Brain viewing of shows like Come Dine With Me, and Love it or List it. If I want to torture my husband, I make us watch Say Yes to the Dress or Four Weddings!
What are you most grateful for?
The love of my husband Brian, our marriage, and our life together.
What would your last meal on earth be?
Since I would soon be dead, then why waste the opportunity? I’d have dinner for two with Vladimir Putin. We’d sit at opposite ends of that ridiculous, gigantic, long table of his. I’d invite Ukrainian President Zelensky to be the chef and tell him not to hold back on the herbs, spices and cyanide!
Do you prefer coffee or tea?
Equal favourites. A better question would be champagne or shiraz? And the answer would be “Ditto!”.
What are you currently reading?
Currently reading Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar …. Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes. By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Here’s an example, on Existential Anxiety: A man enters the Pearly Gates and is asked by St Peter: “What would you like to hear about yourself from your family and friends when they view you in your casket? Were you a good husband and father? Were you great at your job? The man pauses, then tells St Peter: “I’d like to hear someone say, ‘Look he’s moving!’”.
What is your favourite spot in our region?
The view from my kitchen window and back patio. The tip of Mt Superbus peeps out behind Mt Misery and Mitchell’s Peak in a scene that is heartachingly beautiful. It is a mix of the sublime and the picturesque – distant raw cliff faces and wilderness as a backdrop to bursts of colour in the patchwork of cultivations, with little farmhouses dotted behind Jacarandas.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
A current favourite statement is by American activist Alice Walker: “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” And another by Leonardo Da Vinci: “Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.” Too many people feel afraid to speak up.
Which six guests, dead or alive, would be invited to your ultimate dinner party?
Firstly, my two heroes, Captain James Cook and astronaut Neil Armstrong. Both were introverts so they could sit down at the quiet end of the table with Brian and me. It would be fascinating to hear of their experiences and observations. To rev things up, at the other end of the table I’d put former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop across from Donald Trump and, in the middle, our Aussie icon Ash Barty across from comedian Kitty Flanagan.
What is your favourite movie?
I like British dramas and comedies. But Brian, an ex-squadron leader who adores the FA18 fighter jets, has converted me to Top Gun.
