FRED Beel has led an adventurous life few have been fortunate to experience.
Growing up in Victoria, he trained as a fitter and machinist.
However, at 25, wanting to escape the cold and with the travel bug biting, he set off in a campervan to travel the country.
His wanderings took him to West Australia and to the Pilbara, where he began his years working in the mining industry.
Still seeking adventure, he spent several years working in the mines in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea and West Papua, spending his spare time exploring the war wrecks hidden in the ocean depths.
“I loved getting out meeting the tribes in PNG. I was told a long time ago you only need two words: hello and thank you, so I try to learn the local language wherever I go,” Fred said.
Since retiring from the mines at 60 Fred has been able to focus on his passion for sculpture.
“It was an extension of what I was doing. I have always been imaginative and inventive and had that creative streak,” he explained.
“I always knew what I wanted to do and in some of my jobs I was playing around with metal sculpture. In port headland I was the chairman for the Headland Arts Council. I met great mentors and fellow artists there who inspired me to push things along.
“Right now, I’m in a real purple patch. I have been approached by a number of organisations about some significant works.”
Fred has just completed a new public art piece of six sculptures in Dalby.
“Doing a public art piece in Queensland was always on my bucket list,” Fred said, revealing that he likes to push the boundaries and explore different materials.
He has also just been shortlisted for a major exhibition of five pieces in Kingfisher Park at Woolloongabba in Brisbane.
“To get a big job in the city is a good thing to have on the CV for sure,” Fred added.
After featuring on the front page of the Gold Coast Bulletin he has been asked to design an entrance statement for a logistics hub on Flagstone.
Fred is also excited about being asked to put in an expression of interest for a piece for Eagle Street Pier, which will see him compete against international sculptures.
This year, for the fifth year, his works will be on display at the Currumbin SWELL Festival from September 12 to 21.
“Verdant Deployment” features five large stainless steel paper planes.
“It’s a childlike thing; a fun piece that makes me laugh. I had one at the house which my partner loved but I ended up selling it and she was quite upset,” Fred laughed.
“It’s an environmental message about spreading seeds, underneath them they have bombs with native seeds.
“SWELL is heavy on the environment and floats my boat, so I don’t find it hard to come up with ideas.
“I’m a greenie and really in tune to nature and the animals. I planted hundreds of trees on the block which was baron when we got it.
“There are more birds now than there ever was, as well as bandicoots, lizards and snakes.”
His home is a tranquil, eclectic haven, filled with artworks and indigenous pieces from around the world.
After meeting, Cheryl Dundass, Tamborine Mountain State High School’s art department head, at an art summer camp in Toowoomba, he fell in love and joined her on the mountain in 2012.
“I’m glad I did. I have lived all over Australia, and this is the nicest place. I have wonderful friends. I have hitched my wagon to the Tamborine Mountain Arts Collective, which is a good crew. I like to help out and volunteer and share knowledge,” Fred shared.
He was the instigator for the outdoor sculpture festival on Main Street which he coordinates. Next year will be the events third year and Fred hopes it will be bigger and better.
“This year the council let us use the median strip, which was fantastic. It’s a much better location and the businesses benefitted,” he explained.
Life on the mountain is spent enjoying time with their close friends and the fantastic food available and his menagerie of birds, donkeys, chickens and dogs.
“I like to play a bit of recreational poker. We like travelling and are planning a holiday to the States next year and over to Perth in November to see my daughters.
“I think I’m living my best life at the moment. I can’t imagine not living here now: I love it.”
