Presentation To The 50th Queensland Parliament.
Dorothy Pratt.
Spoken 21st June 2002.
Dorothy Pratt.
Member of the Legislative Assembly.
Independent Member for the Electoral District of Nanango.
In 1955 John Spies left Holland to come to Australia and determined to become an Australian on landing. He joined the Army in 1960. Within a very short time a platoon from another barracks entered
John's barracks and a fight erupted in which John was hit on the head by a falling metal locker. He was admitted to hospital and whilst there received another serious blow to his already injured
head, when a nurse whilst adjusting his bed dropped it on him. The combined injuries gave him severe amnesia. John was later discharged from the Army as medically unfit. He turned his hand to many
careers in the next few years, becoming extremely successful in taxidermy and animal autopsies. His expertise in tanning hides was to lead him to establish seven businesses in two years.
In 1969 John was to suffer a devastating blow when a 44-gallon drum of detergent exploded. The new batch of detergent was discovered to be in a used drum which was allegedly contaminated with ammonia
and ether. The two chemicals reportedly reacted with the detergent and created a bomb-like effect. The resultant explosion drenched John and robbed him of his sight. Light caused him extreme pain,
but his determination kept him working. The chemical cocktail had also entered his ear and caused loss of hearing and, to this day, ongoing pain. It was years before John regained any sight and he
continues to use drugs to help ease the pain. His constant bouts of amnesia and unscrupulous persons preying upon him make for an intriguing life story.
John and his wife Margie have struggled through their years together, and in the early nineties John began to use his considerable talent as an artist. He has become a well-known artist renowned for
his incredible and intricate portrayal of Australian wildlife. His paintings have been described as masterpieces and they have commanded high prices and hang in many venues. John and Margie had a
small home completed in Blackbutt in 1994 and later added a large studio where many emerging artists came to study under his tutorage and went on to become well recognised.
John's health has recently deteriorated badly and painting has become harder and harder to do. Recently John has undergone a triple bypass operation. Although he is finding it a little easier to
breathe, his permanent pain and his degenerative osteoarthritis now limit his movement and he is almost confined to his home. His memory lapses are becoming more frequent and the eyesight he did
recover after that horrible explosion of the drum is now fading.
Although not of a great age, John has asked me to convey to this parliament and to the Australian government just how proud he is of being an Australian and how much it has meant to him to be
accepted in this country. He asks no more than to be recognised as a good Australian.
John's life is one which I could not convey in the short time allotted. I cannot show his tenacity in adversity and his intense desire to become a good Australian. The life of John Spies is one that
portrays all the elements of society and shows society's willingness to persecute anyone who may be different and perhaps a trusting, easy mark as John's injuries had left him. His life has not been
an easy one. As many old masters' lives were tragic, so too John has suffered much loss and tragedy.
