AFTER a hiatus of more than three years since the death of its founder, Peter Batey, the Bald Archy Prize is back again.

The “in-yer-face” (that’s the title of a book about it) satirical art award was conceived as an antidote to the Archibald Prize and first ran in in 1994,as part of his Coolac Festival of Fun. I have covered every Bald Archy since that.

Now, after agreement with the executors of Batey’s will, both the collection of first prize-winners and the award itself have been taken over by the Museum of the Riverina in Wagga Wagga.

But befitting the political nature of the prize, it will once again be launched in Canberra at the Watson Arts Centre on February 10, after which it will take off on a NSW to places as far afield as Sydney and Brewarrina.

The exploits of Batey have been familiar to readers over the years. A cantankerous contrarian, known for his sharp tongue and acerbic wit, he was an actor, director, playwright, arts administrator, set and lighting designer, festival director and self-publicist.

But he also gave of his best to the Riverina region, through his regular pages Wagga’s “Daily Advertiser” and “The Land”, and as an outspoken member of the Gundagai Shire Council.

Always one to court controversy, the boy from Benalla was initially best-known for his exploits in the theatre. As a member of Melbourne’s famous Union Repertory Company he was the first person to play Roo in an early development of “The Summer Of The 17th Doll”.  He was the manager of Canberra Rep in the ’60s, then the inaugural artistic director of the SA Theatre Company before achieving fame as the producer-director of Reg Livermore’s legendary hits, “Betty Blokk Buster Follies” and “Wonderwoman”.

But after a spat with Livermore, Batey bought a restaurant the old school house in Coolac, near Gundagai and erected a makeshift stage in his garden where, over the next 12 years, he presented performers including Don Burrows and the Canberra Youth Orchestra.

There, too, with Maude, a local sulphur crested cockatoo of great longevity, he founded the Bald Archy Prize, which quickly attracted entries from leading news cartoonists and satirical artists from around the country.

When the fun ran out in Coolac, he took the show first to Tuggeranong Arts Centre then later Watson Arts Centre, attracting national attention via the journos at the House On The Hill.

Popular Bald Archy subjects over the years were the late Kerry Packer, Pauline Hanson, Julian Assange, Jacqui Lambie, many prime ministers, cricketers, and TV personalities, changing yearly, as the prize became a barometer of public opinion.

Batey used his entrepreneurial skills to get the show into Queensland and rural Victoria, and in 2018, secured substantial funding from millionaire plastic surgeon and hotelier Jerry Schwartz, once the subject of a Bald Archy entry, who also opened the doors to new exhibition venue, notably the Sofitel Darling Harbour Hotel. But he negotiated unsuccessfully with several national institutions for a permanent home for the prizewinning portraits.

At his funeral in July 2019, which I attended, there was considerable anxiety as to what would happen to the collection, which Batey had stipulated should go to a public institution.

There’s been a happy ending. The Museum of Riverina, hosted by Wagga Wagga City Council, has jumped at the opportunity to have such a cultural drawcard.

Museum manager Luke Grealy, a long-time friend of Batey, said he believed the museum had the staff and knowhow to continue the prize and exhibit the winners, both for the enjoyment of the public and to a degree for profit, since wherever it goes, hosting galleries can charge a modest entry fee.

Grealy said he believed the bequest would be used well by the museum, which is in the process of a major expansion.

One of Batey’s co-executors, David Rolls, told “CityNews: “Peter was passionate about the Riverina… I know he would be very pleased with outcome.”

Maude continues to preen her feathers as the chief judge of the prize as it continues into a new life. It is welcome news in a cultural sector where even identities as colourful as Batey quite often fade into oblivion.

2023 Bald Archy Prize, Watson Arts Centre (Canberra Potters), 1 Aspinall Street, Watson, February 10-March 12.