Calling all Doctors. Take some time out from your everyday life and explore the comedy of the ‘Flying Doctor’ series by Howard William Steer. He uses his humour to promote, and bring attention to, the wonderful service of the truly unique Australian icon, The Flying Doctor.
Howard’s ‘Flying Doctor’ features in many of his works, helping to raise the profile, as well as financial support for, the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Howard came up with the proposition that every Broken Hill physician should make his visits from the sky. Flying doctors ought to fly, so he painted them as having wings. Gossamery little things. Patient care could be given anywhere.
Howard William Steer has lived all his life in Broken Hill. As well as supporting the Flying Doctor through his art, Howard paints subjects of the people and animals of the outback. He captures the early miners’ struggle to get reasonable working conditions and humorous (and sometimes satiric) views of our Australian icons, the result being a host of powerful stories-in-art. Red Hill Gallery has just received a selection of Howard’s paintings; we all had a quiet chuckle at his latest humour.