Rob Gray
Born in 1955, Rob joined the Royal Australian Navy as an artificer apprentice in January 1971. Trained in weapons electronics, he subsequently served in HMA Ships Perth, Hobart and Brisbane, as well as in a number of shore establishments. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (Military Division) in the Honours List for the Queen’s birthday, which also happened to be his birthday. He left the Navy as a warrant officer in 1991, having served 7,305 days—not that he was counting!
Rob subsequently worked full-time as a technical writer, mostly in support of defence projects. He then found work as a theatre mechanist, sound engineer, lighting designer and general theatre dogsbody before starting his own theatre company with a friend.
He returned to part-time work to fund his real interests: the arts, history, archaeology and rebuilding his poorly designed house in Canberra to become a carbon-positive dwelling, just to see if it could be done. It can.
Over the years he has travelled fairly extensively and spent some time in Palestine as a peace activist.
Apart from practicing as a visual artist, Rob researches and writes about the lives of some of the forgotten actors in the great events of history. He shares his home by the sea in South Australia with Lucie, Pookie the old cat, and Major the even older cat, and couldn’t be happier.
Exhibitions
1997 'Candlelight', Australian Parliament House, Canberra, ACT
2021 South Australian Living Artists
2021 Coral Street Artspace, Victor Harbor, South Australia
2022 Port Elliot Show, South Australia