OBITUARY / Alfreda Betty Beaver AM, June 30, 1924 – October 15, 2020

By Meredith Hinchliffe

CANBERRA arts and music champion Betty Beaver has died. She was 96.

Born in Brisbane in 1924, from a young age Betty had wanted her life to be in the field of design, but as this was not possible, she took to music. She studied piano and cello from the age of seven, which led to a double scholarship in those instruments at the Sydney Conservatorium.

At the age of 12, she was performing with her sisters in a group called the Woods Trio, often giving concerts to raise money for storm victims and charities. The sisters and their mother travelled extensively, performing in eisteddfods.

In 1942, the family – without her father who had died of blood poisoning when she was 11 – moved to Sydney so that two of the sisters could take up their scholarships.

In 1944, she met Ron Beaver, who had just returned from service in Egypt. They were married the following year and had four children.

During Army and Defence postings, the Beavers lived in 28 houses, while Betty maintained her interests in music and design. She commissioned furniture for a house they built in Killara, which remained when they moved as the pieces were designed to fit specific spaces.

They arrived in Canberra in 1960 where she studied design with Derek Wrigley at the Canberra Technical College.

Cultural life in Canberra was limited in those times and Betty threw herself into redressing that absence. She taught piano and studied ceramics and design. She was heavily involved in the establishment of the Craft Association of the ACT (now Craft ACT), becoming the foundation honorary secretary.

With oldest daughter Karen, Betty opened Narek Gallery in Narrabundah. 

Their main interest was to help people understand the pleasure that can be gained from living with craft objects. They wanted people to appreciate well-designed and well-made objects. 

This was the beginning of what became known as the craft movement in the mid-’70s. For the first time, individual craft artists – potters, weavers, other textile artists, jewellers, furniture designers and makers, wood craftspeople and others – were able to see their work professionally exhibited as were painters and sculptors, in a formal, commercial gallery.

By 1975 Betty had established Beaver Galleries in Red Hill, which over the following 26 years saw remarkable growth, including the establishment of a link with the Freelands gallery in London. 

Betty was integral to the development of crafts in Australia, through the gallery and the exhibition program she developed over nearly 30 years.

As a way of introducing new media to the Canberra audience, and to encourage young and emerging artists, Beaver Galleries initiated its annual Award Exhibition in 1979. 

The first Award Exhibition, “Soft Sculpture”, encouraged serious textile work in Australia. In 1985, Beaver Galleries showed the “Furniture Exhibition”, which drew attention to contemporary Australian furniture designing and making, and Australia’s magnificent furniture timbers. 

Soon after Beaver Galleries opened, Betty held an exhibition of handcrafted clothing, called “Second Skin”. This became a regular part of the gallery’s annual program and was held for 11 years. She bought many of the clothes featured in these exhibitions and donated the complete catalogue and three garments to the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

The ambitious gallery program grew too large for the Red Hill premises and, after prolonged negotiations with the then-National Capital Development Commission, the Beavers’ architect son designed the current gallery complex in Deakin, still one of the very few purpose-built commercial galleries in Australia. 

During this time, Betty maintained her strong interest and support of music in Canberra. She was a founding member and later president of the Canberra Recorder and Early Music Society Baroque Ensemble. The group cultivated local interest in renaissance and baroque music played on instruments of the period.

Betty collected early musical instruments and played one of her instruments at every performance of the group over a period of 22 years. Her ability to make things happen was unparalleled and her vision, musical knowledge and passion were key to this group’s success.

She was a founding member and past president of the committee that runs the Canberra International Music Festival. The festival has been held annually since 1997 to much national and international critical acclaim and is now a major event on the ACT calendar. 

As well as offering her time and financial sponsorship, she commissioned a work from renowned composer Elena Kats-Chernin titled “Beaver Blaze”, which premiered at a festival and has been performed regularly, with adaptations for different instruments and voice ensembles.

Betty frequently made her home and extensive network available to showcase the talents of Canberra’s young musicians. She also was involved in many fund-raising events for numerous Canberra organisations.

In 2004 she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, the citation acknowledging her service to the arts through promotion of Australian contemporary crafts, support for young and emerging craftspeople, and the performing arts in Canberra.

Narek Gallery and Beaver Galleries were important focal points of the early development of the crafts movement in the ACT and Australia. 

The music community of Australia acknowledged her active involvement with a number of major music organisations. Local, national and international music bodies have benefited significantly over many years from her contribution.

Betty Beaver is survived by her four children, Karen, Ross and twins Sue and Martin, nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.