Margaret Guy has travelled and lived in countries around the world but has always been happy to call Maitland home.
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Mrs Guy of Bolwarra Heights has been a volunteer at Maitland Regional Art Gallery (MRAG) for the past four years and loves her role in the gallery shop.
“It is an amazing place to be,” she said.
“The people, the works of art, the cafe and helping visitors are all highlights of volunteering at the gallery.”
Born and raised in Orange, Mrs Guy moved around with her parents and attended school in Orange, Dubbo and the-then Maitland Girls High School.
She worked for Courtaulds at Tomago as a laboratory assistant for a few years before marrying a local boy, Ian Guy in 1965.
Mr Guy was a school teacher so their married life took them to Sydney for 40-plus years.
“With the work Ian did for a university we enjoyed sabbatical stays in different parts of the world,” she said.
“We lived in the Netherlands, United States, Thailand, Germany and Wales.
“I don’t have a favourite because it was all fabulous. Travelling and living there day to day, taking our children to school through snow storms in the Netherlands.”
Mrs Guy has three children and three grandchildren.
She volunteered for a few organisations in Sydney and enjoyed the experience of meeting all sorts of people.
The Guys moved back to the country in Maitland five years ago.
“About six months went by and I saw an ad for gallery volunteers,” she said.
“That was prior to the opening and new extensions to the gallery so I started volunteering to help with cleaning and unpacking.
“I volunteered with school groups for the first year which was helping with activities relating to exhibitions. For the past three years I have been more involved in the gallery shop.”
Mrs Guy recommends every child and student visit MRAG.
“It is very important for children to come here. It widens their horizons and what they see, more than the things they see on television. The things they see here they many never come across anywhere else.
“For example, they may never have seen a nude drawing or painting by an artist before.”
Mrs Guy has always enjoyed seeing visitor reactions to various exhibitions.
“The Op Shop exhibition was a lot of fun.
“The galley included a film as part of the exhibition. It was about a group of women
volunteers at an op-shop and they came across a box of sex aids.
“Anyone who saw that film would come out laughing about it.”
Mrs Guy is amazed by the glass works of art that come through the gallery shop.
“I love them all and I have bought and taken home a few.
“Maitland’s gallery is on a par with the major galleries I have been to overseas.”