The humble Nambour man whose creative vision gave some of Australia’s best-loved tourist attractions their unique style is being remembered as a “one-of-a-kind” artist.
John Williams was surrounded by loved ones when he passed away at Caloundra’s Dove Cottage palliative care centre on February 2 at the age of 78 – four weeks after receiving a diagnosis of brain cancer on his birthday on January 4.
His widow Lorraine Taylor said John’s greatest legacy to the art world was his originality.
“Everything he did was original,” she said on a tough day as she embarked on a new life in North Queensland without her soulmate.
“He was a theme park artist and there was none around doing that.
“He did Aussie World and he designed the Banana Bender Pub (exterior) and he did Dreamworld’s conception (for founder John Longhurst) – all done by hand brush.”
The Dreamworld’s Golden Years – Past, Present, Future Facebook page paid tribute to John in a post on February 13: “John Williams was a man who had an impact on every Dreamworld guest from the day the park opened. John was the park artist. He designed the park maps, hand-painted park signage, and designed rides and themed areas for the park … We are thankful for the opportunity to meet a very talented man.”
Lorraine said she and John had travelled to Singapore and Cairns for inspiration “for a beautiful tropical hotel which was the theme John wanted to have” for the Banana Bender Pub, which needed to be re-imagined in the foreground of Aussie World at Palmview after an intellectual property rights dispute was taken to court.
Previously known as the Ettamogah Pub – the Outback hotel complete with wonky walls and a 1927 Chevrolet atop the roof – was inspired by Ken Maynard’s cartoons in the now-defunct Australasian Post magazine.
Aussie World owner John Paini was forced to change the name of the pub, built by businessman Lindsay Cooper in 1989, and remove any of the cartoon likenesses.
John Williams was called in to put his creative touch to the exterior of the pub for the 2018 redevelopment.
“He actually was ghost artist to Ken,” Lorraine said.
“They had a really strong relationship. It’s why he gave the Banana Bender that name because he knew that Ken would look at a Queensland hotel and say, ‘Oh it’s a banana bender’ – because that’s true Australian colloquialism.
“To him, it was a no brainer: that’s what you call Queensland pubs.
“John didn’t actually have any input into the Ettamogah Pub up here on the Sunshine Coast but the owner of Aussie World employed him based on what he did in Sydney.
“He was an Aussie World from 1998 designing all the rides, making sure that everything was set and followed through from his ideas.”
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A different side to John’s creative nature will be completed posthumously with the publication of a children’s book.
“My granddaughter Chelsea (11) is going to finish it for him because she sat for hours and hours while he read the story and she knows the ending,” Lorraine said.
“She’s actually very conversant and she’s quite bubbly. We say to her about Poppa John’s upside-down tree and she knows all about it.
“So, she’s going to have input into that.
“It’s going to get published in Switzerland. His son (John) has taken it back.
“It was created because whenever John (Senior) went to his grandmother’s at Breamlea in Victoria, they passed this upside-down tree (a tree growing horizontally to the ground).
“Once they passed it at a farm, they knew they were close to their grandmother’s house.
“So, it had a really strong influence on him because it’s so mystical.”
A memorial service was held for John on February 10 on the beach at Mudjimba, his favourite spot where he and Lorraine lived for a time.
“It was fantastic. We had a wide range of people from all walks of life that John had touched,” Lorraine said.
“His son arrived from Switzerland fortunately the week before he passed and next year I’m travelling with his ashes to the Swiss alps.
“His son and I will scatter his ashes up at the Schilthorn (where much of the 1969 James Bond 007 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed) which is a 3000m high peak that John and I went up.
“(John Jr) is a professional squash coach and has been for over 20 years. He originally coached the Swiss Olympic team.
“He now does commentary for the professional association and he was at the Pyramids (Egypt) last month doing commentary.”
The couple often visited Switzerland to see John, with Zurich almost a home away from home.
Now Lorraine is forced to make a fresh start alone.
An artist in her own right, she met John in 1998 and they were both about to semi-retire when John received the devastating news of his diagnosis.
“We bought a little beach shack in North Queensland. I’ve got a daughter up there (Leah, Chelsea’s mum),” Lorraine said, while babysitting her three-year-old granddaughter and surrounded by removalists.
“Today is a very emotional day leaving our home and moving to Mackay without him.”
But she isn’t quite ready to cut all ties with Nambour, where they bought their first house together and also ran Sprinkles ice-cream bar.
Lorraine began Street Art Nambour four years ago and remains one of three volunteers on the community board.
With the help of a professional artist Sarah Sculley and her team of creatives, they are transforming Nambour into a town-wide colourful and funky free tourist attraction for any residents and visitor to explore.
“We’ve still got goals we want to kick with it,” Lorraine said.
“We want to make a trail that goes right through the bulk of the hinterland.
“We’re doing it without any help at all. It’s just a small community group of us that’s doing it.
“There’s so many beautiful people in Nambour that I want to continue this so we can give them (the mural artists) a really good name.”
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