An interview with Patricia Robertson

Patricia Robertson is the Founding Chairman and current Patron of ADFAS, the Australian sister organisation of The Arts Society.

Pat first became aware of NADFAS, as it was then known, in the mid 1980’s during an overseas trip to England. She was encouraged by the National Chairman to form an equivalent Society in her adopted city of Sydney, and returned to Australia armed with a manual of instructions and a determination to see ADFAS succeed.

Recently, Pat shared some of her memories of those early days as well as her hopes for the future.

“I was invited to go along to a NADFAS lecture and afterwards I thought, well this is absolutely marvellous and then I was lucky enough to be introduced to the National Chairman, Judith Waples, who knew many of the same people in my circle of friends and family. We had a lovely chat, and then she said to me, “I think you’d better start a DFAS in Australia”. So the next moment there I was sitting in a London taxi cab with quaking knees and clutching a copy of ‘How to set up a NADFAS Society’.

When I got back to Sydney, I invited some friends for lunch and told them what it was all about. I was lucky that three of them immediately said that they would be on the committee. There was Harriet Brown who was very fortunately prepared to be the Treasurer. By the end of lunch, I had a Secretary, Pat Rochester, and Vice-Chairman, Gay Voss, as well. I could hardly believe it. It was hard work putting an annual programme together but I had wonderful support from some very talented people who helped me enormously and were a great source of style and energy. And I think it was the right time for a lot of us. These days I know it can be difficult to get a committee together but things really fell into place for us back then. 

My husband Andrew was very supportive and other husbands pitched in as well. Andrew and Gay’s husband, David, were given the job of setting up the chairs at our venue and thereafter they were always known as the Chair men. In the beginning, it was quite difficult to find the right kind of lecturer. University lecturers weren’t always that well suited to it but Edmund Capon had been the Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales since 1978 and was already a NADFAS lecturer and he agreed to be our President and to deliver the inaugural ADFAS lecture. His wife Joanna is a great girl, and I think she had a lot to do with persuading him! After that things just grew. ADFAS Canberra was established in 1987 and then Melbourne, Scone, Geelong, Bowral, Shoalhaven and so on, and eventually we were able to create a cost-effective lecture circuit. Of course, UK lecturers loved to come to Australia. There are 36 societies now in 3 circuits. I could never have imagined how rewarding it was all going to be."

Pat’s tireless efforts in support of ADFAS continue. She is the Association of ADFAS Patron, a friend and mentor to successive Office Bearers, and the inspiration for the Patricia Robertson Fund. This philanthropic fund assists young and mid-career conservators in advancing their skills and practice in the conservation of Australian cultural materials. Pat retains a keen commitment to the growth of ADFAS as its custodians respond to the challenges of the present and the opportunities for the future.

“Everybody needs something like ADFAS in their lives. It opens so many doors and creates so many friendships. I still get a Christmas card from Judith. In later life, a space for social engagement and stimulating discussions is so important, don’t you think? And it’s essential to maintain the quality of lectures and do as much as we can to encourage the arts in all our communities. There are lots more regions in Australia where it would be ideal for a new society to be established. The great thing is to spread the word. I really am very grateful that volunteers are still taking the job on and donating their time to make sure that ADFAS carries on for at least another 30 years.”