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Canberra Today 12°/15° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Arts / To Geraldine with love – ‘Sunrise Cambodia’ fundraiser at Aarwun

HUMANITARIAN ideals and art make comfortable bedfellows, suggests Aarwun Art Gallery director Bob Stephens who is soon to stage a fundraiser. 

Geraldine Cox
Geraldine Cox
Stephens, whose personal story makes this project particularly affecting, recently met legendary humanitarian Geraldine Cox at her home in Cambodia and after hearing her story and those of the Cambodian people, he decided to give a helping hand with a gala dinner and auction.

Cox, as most readers know, founded Sunrise Cambodia 21 year ago, giving a safe and caring home to orphaned, disabled and trafficked children. Nowadays it is known for providing education, health care, housing and community infrastructure to vulnerable children and struggling families in the most poverty stricken provinces of Cambodia.

Never one to do things by halves, Stephens has hired the Abbey function Centre close to his gallery, he’s talked Senator Derryn Hinch into chairing the event and has announced a black tie dinner and fine art auction to be supported by artists including Wendy Sharpe, John Olsen, Pro Hart, Carlos Barrios, Geoff Dyer, David Boyd, Ken Knight, Ted Lewis, Gracie Morton and Simon Palmer.

Best news of all, Geraldine Cox will be attending the swanky affair.

Bob Stephens
Bob Stephens
“As a young boy I spent many years in institutional care in in England and here in Australia as a child migrant. I am acutely aware of the needs of children in care and the love and dedication required to give them a better start in life,” Stephens says.

The meeting between Cox and Stephens is quite a story. Recently Cox was searching for a highly important painting and was directed to Stephens, a long-time collaborator with Robert Pengilley.

Back in 1997, after the coup in Cambodia, artist Robert Pengilley had created a painting depicting a moment during the coup when the military arrived in tanks with large guns and tried to force Cox and the children off the government land they were occupying. Cox stood her ground and eventually the military left.

On the night of the event Pengilley’s portrait will be presented to Cox with love and admiration.

Black tie dinner & art auction funds for Sunrise Cambodia, at The Abbey Function Centre, Nicholls, 6pm, February 4, 2017. $125 per guest, information about Sunrise Cambodia at sunrisecambodia.org.au and bookings to aarwuncanberra@bigpond.com or 6230 2055.

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Helen Musa

Helen Musa

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