The portrait of an Australian farmer who could not enlist for war service in the Second World War because his labour was needed to maintain the nation’s food supply, has recently been acquired by the Australian War Memorial with funding assistance from the National Cultural Heritage Account. This significant painting by Weaver Hawkins sheds a light on the importance of agricultural labour during wartime, with farming listed as a Reserved Occupation.
The subject of the oil painting is Hawkins’ friend and neighbour, John Thomas Joyce, a farmer from Mona Vale NSW, whose attempt to enlist during the Second World War was rejected due to his occupation as a farmer. The experience of war was very personal for this artist as he had fought during the First World War and sustained significant injury.
This work is historically significant because it tells the lesser known story of the non-military war service that some men carried out during the Second World War. With the majority of Australian artists of the time painting soldiers on the front line, or women’s labour on the Home Front, this painting is unique in its depiction of Reserved Occupations and masculine labour on the Home Front.
It is a valuable addition to the Australian War Memorial’s art collection. It is also an excellent example of modernism and avant-garde painting in Australia during the Second World War, depicting the unique friendship between artist and subject.
The painting will be on display in the Australian War Memorial in the second half of 2023.
