Heather Stevens, a friend of the late Tom Tyne is excited to present the very quirky work of a great local South West Rocks character. He depicted so many wonderful local scenes throughout his life and she felt a retrospective exhibition of his work, in our South West Rocks Gallery, would be a fitting way to share his paintings.
Tom Tyne was born in 1920 in Kempsey. When he was a young boy, his parents moved from Willawarrin to South West Rocks where they ran the boarding house, a shop and fishing boats. Tom was a keen participant in the local Life Saving Club, and drove buses around the area. Tom later married Hazel Quinlan at Smithtown.
Tom joined the Air Force, and during World War II served with RAAF 82 Squadron ground crew during the New Guinea campaign. When stationed at Noemfoor Island he was taught to paint in oils by an American WAC who was in a survey team with the US Mapping Service. He continued to paint in oils when he returned to Australia. Tom and Hazel moved to Sydney where he had a building company and he later worked with the RSL. They had three children. After he retired, Tom and Hazel moved back to South West Rocks. Tom enjoyed playing golf at the South West Rocks Country Club. He was a fit, strong man and lived independently until his sudden passing in 2022, at the age of 102.
