He may have been named after legendary cricketer Garfield Sobers, but it’s his talent as an artist th getting him noticed. NATALIE HOLMES chatted to arfiel Lane about study, shearing and his passion for ainting. ir

Violet Dunstan, 5 Favourite song? Favourite colour? Favourite game? Who is your best friend? What makes you laugh? What makes you sad?

Mary Had A Little Lamb Green

Hide and seek

Hailey from big school When people help me When my brother pulls my hair and is naughty to me

What are you afraid of? Monsters If you could change your name what would it be? Brella What are you really good at? Flick overs Do you have any jokes to tell me? What was in

the sky? A jelly-copter

What is your favourite thing to eat for lunch?

Jam and vegemite sandwiches

What is your favourite fruit?

apple

What do you want to be when you grow up?

helper

How old is grown up?

Pineapple and Sixty-twelve A GROWING up in a family of nine children in Goodooga in north-west NSW, Garfield Lane naturally followed his uncles into shearing.

“I was a shearer for 29 years, I started before I left school. Back in those days, we didn’t need an education. We earned good money.”

Initially, Garfield worked around his local community before moving further afield in places such as Wagga Wagga, Mudgee, Armidale, Yass, St George and Crookwell.

“I followed the shearing,” he told Dubbo Photo News.

“At Mogilla, we had to shear 45,000 sheep over an eightweek period with 12 of us.

“We were averaging 150 to 180 per day. One guy did 250, while 230 was my highest tally there.”

Garfield’s highest ever count was 274 at Gerong between Forbes and Condobolin.

“I also shore around Brewarrina for 13 years.”

Garfield’s first foray into art came after tragedy struck his family.

“I started painting on emu eggs after my two nieces were killed in a car accident. I did seven months of counselling but it didn’t help.”

Painting became his therapy and a mechanism for coping with the sad loss.

But in 2006, tragedy struck again.

“The drought put me out of work and I was working as a stockman at Burrangong Meat Processors at Young.

“I had only been there for five weeks when I was moving stock one morning.”

Garfield remembers the event like it was yesterday.

“I got to work at 10 to 6 and it was September 27, 2006. I was working with a small mob of 23. The vet and the other stockman went up the race while I went up the outside ramp. The dogs wouldn’t settle and the sheep became restless.”

Garfield was crushed against the ramp by the sheep and his kneecap was torn, leaving permanent damage to his leg and ending his shearing career.

Initially misdiagnosed, Garfield had to seek a second opinion before he could receive proper treatment.

“The doctor sent me back to work after a week, I worked for a month before I saw the physio in the street and she helped me.”

Six months later, Garfield had an operation but his leg has not been the same since and he uses crutches to assist his movement, along with pain relief.

“My hip aches and my other leg gives out,” he explained.

Garfield is not morose about his situation and chooses not to dwell on the negatives.

“Before, there was nothing I couldn’t do, now there is nothing I can do,” he says, matter-of-factly.

Once again turning to art as therapy, Garfield entered artworks in the Brewarrina Show, receiving a first and second for his efforts. It buoyed his confidence and he has continued creating artworks that illustrate his interests, his culture and his passions.