Something for the Birds

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Auckland University Press, 2006 - Art - 208 pages
Something for the birds is an unusual and engaging memoir of the early life of well-known artist and Auckland personality Jacqueline Fahey. She traces her roots from her childhood in Timaru back to her Irish ancestors, and describes her bohemian life as an art student in Christchurch and her marriage to celebrated psychiatrist Fraser McDonald. A tapestry of very funny personal and family stories, this book also casts light on fascinating elements of New Zealand society, from the strict indoctrination of Catholic education and the fiery legacy of Irish blood to the Christchurch matrons who banned Fahey from their 'at homes'. Fahey's commentary on the social and cultural trappings of New Zealand life is shrewd, witty and perceptive. She has always lived flamboyantly and courageously and her crucial position as a painter in the vanguard of feminism is clear without being made an excuse for self-importance. Family pictures and some of Fahey's most important paintings further illustrate this lively, amusing, sad and utterly readable memoir of a life lived to the full.

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Contents

Contents
1
Two When They Stopped Singing
19
FOUR Machweil
50
Copyright

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About the author (2006)

Jacqueline Fahey is the author of Cutting Loose, the organizer of New Zealand's first gender-balanced art exhibit, and the New Zealand representative to the Sydney Perspecta in 1985.

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