Beverley Farmer

BEVERLEY Farmer died several years ago. I read her Collected Stories and loved them. Then I began pursuing her other works, including novels and essay/ non-fiction writing. She has had, posthumously, poems published. I saw that she was, like me, a member of the Australian D H Lawrence society. I somehow got in touch and discovered that she lived at 47 Point Lonsdale Rd, Point Lonsdale. I have a history of wanting to be in contact with authors. A real buzz for me, similar to someone wanting to meet a musician or an actor backstage. We had some correspondence. We share a love for other things too, other writers, poets, but also artists, especially Van Gogh. Our mutual interests prompted me to write to her, and this is where the correspondence began. Now each time I travelled to Torquay I always made a habit of dropping in on Point Lonsdale and driving by, and stopping outside her house on the main street. I had an urge every time to knock on the door, but I was too shy. One day I finally met her on mutual ground at the Queen Victoria market. Strangely, I don’t have much of a memory of this occasion. I asked her, in a letter, if I could visit her. I even gave a future date. No, no, no, she was adamant. Not a good idea, the house too messy, etc, etc. I figured, someone who really values her privacy, maybe even unwell… Last year, in visiting a friend in Point Lonsdale, I pointed out the house that I always wanted to visit. I knew that Beverley had died, in 2018, but I was still curious. My friend, J, said ‘I think I might know who lives in that house.’ So we knocked, and the man, in his fifties, who opened it said he was Beverley farmer’s son. Wow! I knew she had a son. I had no idea that he lived there. Taki said he was busy, about to go to Geelong, but come back another time, he will show me his mother’s books. Well finally, a few months later, I am back, and went yesterday and got to know Taki a bit, and saw a white mask that features in her work in the backyard, and went through her books. Many paperbacks, it must be said, but a lot of interesting titles, mostly art and literature, but old, dusty, fair condition, and not first editions. Still, a number with her name in them. Taki kindly said I could have a Van Gogh book she purchased on a trip to the Musee D’Orsay- inside it has her name and ’30 September 1994’ on it, as well as some postcards she had evidently purchased loosely stuck inside. A nice association to have. I called Taki this morning and asked if I could go back. I remembered an old, dusty copy of Simone De Beauvoir’s ‘The Second Sex.’ Inside, some foolscap notes of jottings she had evidently made based on some readings of Lawrence, poetry and sex amongst other things. Again, some lovely associations. I am so glad I have made her son’s acquaintance. I hope to see him again. I have finally stepped into the house I have longed to step into for many years now. His mother was a great writer, a real intellect, and I feel I have got to know her, just a little bit.