THE Broadford and District Historical Society presented a talk with renowned artist, Bruno Leti, at Gavan Hall last Wednesday.
The event was a sell-out success with almost 100 people buying a ticket.
Mr Leti was raised in Broadford along with his siblings.
Their parents, Gervasio and Velia married at St Peter’s Square, in Rome around 1937.
Soon after they had three children. Franca Leti was born in 1938 and Bruno was born in 1941. Sadly their brother Carlo, born in between, died in a local car accident in 1957.
World War Two, a conflict that involved virtually every part of the world during the years 1939–45, also changed their lives.
Gervasio Leti was a hero, and along with his brother, they sheltered many soldiers who might have become prisoners of war.
One of those was pilot Humphrey Jowett, the eldest son of Royal Australian Air Force Captain Arthur Jowett.
Jowett purchased Clonbinane Park in 1942, but sadly, the homestead was burnt to the ground in 2009 during the Black Saturday bushfires.
Bruno has fond memories of the grand estate.
Two years after the war ended, Jowett sent a letter offering the Letis a new life to thank him for saving his son’s life.
Mr Leti considered and accepted the invitation; and he moved to Australia in 1950.
Another sibling, a sister, Alexandra, was born at the Broadford Bush Nursing Hospital in 1952.
The Leti family built a home in Pinniger Street Broadford, where the miner’s style cottage is still upright. Bruno went to Broadford Primary School and since there was no secondary school he caught the bus to Seymour Technical College every morning for six years.
He remembers early mornings delivering newspapers for the Broadford Courier and said perhaps that’s where the interest in printmaking came from, as he always liked ink.
After winning a scholarship, Bruno moved to Melbourne and studied fine art at university, and teaching.
Later, Mr Leti became a secondary school teacher. He first taught at Sealake, but he later asked for a teaching post at Seymour.
At a very handy 24, he built his first studio at Murchison Street in Broadford.
He decided to become a full-time artist in his thirties and subsequently retired from teaching.
Leti said he first worked with acrylic, oil paint and photography capturing familiar landscapes and buildings. Locals were thrilled to own some of his early works.
The next career phrase introduced a new style. Leti created even larger art using ink and large-scale printers.
In the 1980s, Leti said his art altered again. This time he published books to fuse art with philosophy.
Across his career, Leti has won several major awards, including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in New York. Over six monographs have been printed featuring his works.
‘Six Memos on the Art of Bruno Leti’ by Sasha Grishin —2002 is solely devoted to Leti.
Leti has a son, whose name is Adriano (Adrian).
Another highlight of Bruno’s second childhood in Broadford saw him lacing up his boots for the Broadford Football Netball Club for five years.
A quick rover, on occasions his team included late VFL greats, Jack Green (Collingwood) and Bob Suter (Essendon). A serious concussion which resulted in hearing loss ended his football career.
Bruno is philosophical about sport. He said he did it because he enjoyed being in the moment.
He played A grade tennis until the age of 75, ten years ago.
He still swims, has massages, and faithfully walks his Jack Russell, Bess, and they visit his family graves at the Broadford cemetery together.
“I’ve been very much influenced by travelling,” he said.
“But Clonbinane has to be the most beautiful valley in Central Victoria.
“I wouldn’t change the environment, it’s the environment that I grew up with, Broadford, Seymour, [and] Yea.
“I wouldn’t change anything.”
