Steve Scalone - Photographer
Bruce Richardson - Birder, Performer
Paul Hackett - Bird Guide
Warren Schaeche - Friend

This image represents the entire project. The constants in all the images are the studio, the lighting and the chair. More importantly, though, this image – of an empty chair – represents those people that I would have photographed for this project if they were still with us.

Last year we lost my great friend and mentor, Steve Scalone. Steve was a wonderful photographer with an eye for minimalism. Beyond that though, Steve was one of the kindest and most gentle people you could ever hope to meet. When judging photographic competitions, Steve would always find positive things to say, even about the most awful images. Steve was a presence, but mostly Steve was a friend.

R Bruce Richardson was a performer throughout his life – but when I first met him he was a bird watcher. Bruce hailed from the USA but hated the current regime and had no fear in exclaiming that whenever possible. He had been an alcoholic but by the time I met him had been sober for years. Bruce was a hugger – whether you were or not! I once made a movie and cast Bruce as the serial-killer villain – he loved that because it was so far from the truth!

Paul Hackett was a bird watcher and a bird guide. A man not taken to hyperbole – he was softly spoken. However, when he found a new bird for our mutual stomping grounds he absolutely had to let us know – the excitement in his voice was palpable. Paul, we still have not seen that Red-capped Robin at Serendip. You still have that over us, and I don’t mind if it stays that way!

Warren Schaeche was a friend of more than 40 years. Warren was a country boy and definitely a man of few words. This meant that when he spoke, you listened. Warren loved motor racing more than anyone I’ve ever known. He dreamed of owning a Porsche 911 – which he eventually did. One day in the 1980s we were driving to Winton to watch the motor racing. Warren was driving his Nissan EXA Turbo – fast. To be honest, we were neck and neck with another vehicle heading north. We passed a couple of coppers with a radar gun and out the back we could see them scrambling to their car. Sure enough on came the flashing blues (that’s what colour they were then). Warren pulled over and I asked him why – oh, he said, they can take the easy way out and stop and book me or they can have their fun and chase the other guy at high speed. Obviously the cops chose the latter and as we drove past them later (slowly) we could see them wagging their fingers at us! Warren understood the human condition.