Confidence Determination Creativity

Opportunity

While working his trade as a carpenter around 1968-69, John was hired to fit out a showroom for a company called Stones and Findings. It was there that he discovered his new medium: semi-precious and precious stones. He was fascinated with the colors and began to ask a lot of questions, he wanted to learn as much as he could while he was there. The architect for the job asked John if he knew of somebody who could do a centerpiece for the showroom. John said, “yeah sure, how about me?” He managed to convince the architect and the business owners that he was the man for the job. He also managed to negotiate use of their equipment and their materials, so he was only going to be paid for his time.

John had a vague idea what he was going to do but he had no idea how to work with stones. He had to come up with something and a way to do it. So, he did. Using his I can do anything attitude and inventiveness he started work on the project by night all the while working by day at the job. By this time John and His wife Lissy had moved into a unit in Randwick and John had rented a second garage from a lady upstairs to use as a studio, so he had space to create. It took six weeks to complete the project, and a new avenue of art for him was soon to be realized.

The unveiling

With a showmanship-like flair he carried the object in and placed it in position on the showroom floor and waited for everybody to gather round. With a magician’s flourish he unveiled his work. Well, no one knew what to expect and everybody was astonished. What he’d unveiled, nobody had ever seen before, not in Australia anyway. What he’d unveiled was to lead him to fortune and fame, or was it?

The Search

Meanwhile, preparations were underway for the Bicentennial of Captain Cook’s voyage and discovery of Australia. Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Princess Anne were well and truly on their way to visit Australia for the Bicentennial celebrations. The Prime Minister’s wife, Bettina Gorton, began searching all over Australia for a suitable gift for the Royal Family. The gift or gifts were to be presented to the Royal Family by the Australian Government. Upon her return to Sydney, Mrs. Gorton learned of a new establishment in the northern suburbs, close to Kirribilli. It was 'Stones and Findings,' a lapidary store and showroom. As she entered, her eyes were drawn to the centerpiece. There stood a magnificent large coffee table with a rhodonite surface. "This is it!" she exclaimed. Despite her interest, Stones and Findings was reluctant to sell. "Find the craftsman behind this masterpiece," she demanded. John was immediately contacted, and the decision was made to create two new tables, one for Prince Charles now King Charles III and another for The Princess Anne.

Non Disclosure

John was immediately contracted/commissioned to make two more tables: one inlaid with turquoise and one with rhodonite. He was then placed under enormous pressure to complete the works on time. It was also to remain a secret so he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone what he was doing: He had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

John recalls that at the time he was getting phone calls daily asking if he was going to finish on time. Well, he did, and upon delivery some weeks before the presentation and royal dinner, a senior bureaucrat decided he didn’t like the colour on the wood frame of the turquoise table for Princess Anne. So, at the last-minute John took it back to Sydney, disassembled the table, and redid the timber frame.

A Kids Memory

Carlos, John and Lissy’s Son

I remember as a then seven-year-old the three of us in the old HR Holden station wagon hurtling through the countryside towards Canberra with something or things very important in the back. I think we were running late because Dad was being a real lead foot. As luck would have it, just outside Canberra (and to Mum’s relief) we were pulled over by a big cranky policeman in a tiny Mini Minor car. To a kid it all resembled a Mr. Bean episode. I don’t remember laughing but looking back it was really funny seeing such a big bloke step out of such a small car. It turns out the police used Mini Cooper S’s in those days. Anyway, Dad got out of the station wagon with a letter in his hand and began gesturing back and forth and pointing to the back of the car. The police man took the letter, went back to his little car and then came back a little while later. From that point on everything changed one minute we were sitting on the side of the road, and the next we were following the fast little car at high speed (or as fast as the wagon could do to stay on the road) trying to keep up with the flashing blue light. All the while Mum was holding on and freaking out. I was having a ball sliding back and forth across the back seat, because in those days there was no seatbelt. This went on all the way to Government House.

The Royal Gala Dinner invitation

Two weeks later, John was back in Canberra dining with royalty at Government House seated directly opposite Sir Robert Menzies. Lissy got to eat a BBQ chicken and watch the reception from a hotel room in downtown Canberra. John got to meet the Queen and Princess Anne and also was able to have brief chat with her. She absolutely loved the turquoise table and thought it was the best gift she’d ever received. That made John very happy, but fame and fortune was to elude him.

Today it would be different

After the event, John and Lissy spent ten years seeking recognition from the Australian Government for his contributions. A letter finally arrived, but by then, they had stopped trying to gain any fame from the honor—it was simply too late. John often found humor in the disbelief he encountered when he told people he had made gifts/one of a kind gemstone coffee tables for the Royal Family and that he met the Queen of England.

The First prototype Table

If you are wondering what happened to the original table a good friend of John’s (an entrepreneur and art collector) who he had met while working at Stones and Findings purchased it for $6000 Australian a while later. By today’s standards that’s $49000 a lot more than he was paid to create it in the first place. It now resides in Rhode Island, USA.

After the tables John began working with his new-found knowledge and began a series of works using semi-precious stones, rhodonite, chrysoprase, amethyst, turquoise, and tiger eye and so on. The murals or reliefs were completed over a few years and once again in John’s spare time. A few of them are in private collections both here and overseas. The works speak for themselves.