Curiosity collected all the cats.

Locking on an ‘obsession’, the starting point for this issue of Gippslandia, I draw a blank.

Not in the filling my house with Beanie Babies; making a doll from the hair I secretly collected from my dearly beloved but unrequited crush; or screaming, Oprah-crying, then fainting over a boy/girl band stereotypical Hollywood portrayal of ‘obsession’ anyway.

As we prepared this edition, I found myself drawn to the collectors.

Quieter obsessives.

“The desire for completionism is strong...”

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Here’s what I learnt:

Firstly, it feels like there’s an innocence to starting a collection, an aspect I see regularly via our young son who fills his pockets with things. For instance, on the desk near me is a handful of old screws. There were flakes of bricks he pulled out of a sandy construction site filling his jeans last week. And, in the backyard, a pile of ‘special’ rocks must have evolved to copulate, as they’re growing in number.

The conversation with Margot Whelan also embodies this sense of innocuousness: “A friend shared that she was collecting Carlton Ware and to grab her anything I saw while I was [in Canberra]. I found some, but they didn’t fit with her collection, so I kept them.” Margot now has about 5000 gorgeous pieces of Carlton Ware in her home.

Your sense of curiosity further emerges in step with the growth of your collection. It feels that the more Garry Wallis learnt about the geology of Gippsland, the more rocks he needed to unearth and check out to confirm or correct his hunches. There will always be a new clock to challenge Rob’s ability to “restore it for posterity”.

Once you’ve acquired a collection of serious substance, a sense of completeness may come to the fore. Two collections of mine spring to mind: Upper Deck NBA basketball cards (the aim was to grab the season’s set) and Riptide Bodyboarding Magazines. For the Riptides, once I had a few annual birthday gift subscriptions on the shelf and had begun to find a couple in secondhand bookstores, I thought that I could push for the summit and collect them all. Eventually, I did, but at the time that was only about 100 editions (later, I got access to the Riptide storage facility and nearly lost my mind. Stacks of mags taller than I am… heaven).

John Scott has around 2000 ceramic electric jugs, and that is but one facet of his otherworldly collection. The desire for completionism is strong in John.

Our collections have significance to us.

Undoubtedly, the members of the South Gippsland Orchid Society (p. 25) find beauty in their gorgeous orchids. Neil Joiner’s cars (p. 11) were immensely important to him and, by taking his beautiful 1937 Buick Special out to drop his grandchildren at their respective debutante balls, he added further momentousness to the cherished vehicle.

While not a collection, Kate Jarvis is quick to highlight how dedicated she is in her current role, collaborating with the Shane Warne Legacy to address unhealthy hearts.

I have a hunch that while feeling the speed and explosiveness of rally cars blasting past mere metres from him, young John Duckett is feeling a significant sense of awe, among a suite of other supercharged emotions.

Finally, there appears to be a level of unattainability to a collection or obsession, which is especially true for those with creative pursuits. Will Neale Stratford ever capture a photograph that he’s completely satisfied with? Similarly, will Matt Dunn find the perfect combination of words – and will others recognise them as such?

Nature is the great curveball slinger, simultaneously presenting challenges, complexity and captivating as Stacey Wagner continuously seeks perfection through her cheesemaking.

Hands down, everyone we’ve chatted with for Gippslandia #32 conveyed how rewarding the process of collecting, curating or creating had been for them – their lives were richer for it.

So, find what you love, and let it consume you (or, be more like Stacey and consume it!).

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We'd love to give an extra shoutout to Karli Duckett, who photographed many of the stories in this edition. You'll find a selection of the photos across these pages - with more to come via gippslandia.com.au and karlimichellephotography.com.au in the coming weeks.

Check 'em out!

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Gippslandia - Issue No. 32

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