“I was dragged back down here in the early 90s by my friend, Gregor Cullen who was one of the artist/printmakers from the old Redback Graphics days. He was Wollongong born and bred and I was Berry born and bred. I’d been away working in the Central Coast and other places and I was kind of finished and at a loose end.

“At the time, the Chamber of Commerce had a revitalization program happening and Gregor said, ‘why don’t you volunteer on that project?’ Which I did.  

“I was living with my father in Berry and I would drive up to Port. Things were pretty tough for me, I literally had next to no money. I’d left a fairly good job because I’d convinced myself that I could do something that was completely un-doable and I was pretty well on the bones of my arse. Had nothing, almost nothing. I was living with my father and travelling up every day from Berry to Port. Living with my father was not easy and it wasn’t fair on him, I kind of just landed, as you do! And so, I moved to Port and I moved upstairs from the old newsagent, in what was then a Dions building.

“I still dream about that place.”

– Ann Martin, 3 July 2017

Photo: Nina Kourea