Vale Horatio T Birdbath

A tribute from former Fremantle Mayor and Member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia, Dr Brad Pettitt.

The sudden departure of Horatio T Birdbath from this world has resulted in an outpouring of love and grief in the Fremantle community that I can’t remember seeing before. Horatio clearly captured the creative spirit and heart of Fremantle like no other.

Horatio T Birdbath, the so-called “last bohemian” of Fremantle, passed away suddenly last weekend at home (which of course was an eccentric caravan filled with more eccentric objects).

For me, Horatio was a friend, a Freo icon, an extraordinary artist, and someone who lived life in his own fabulously unique way. And writing a standard obituary for him is an impossible task. I knew him for more than 30 years, but so much of his life remains a fascinating mystery, as quirky and offbeat as the man himself.

So here’s what I think and hope to be approximately correct.

Horatio was born in New Zealand. After graduating from New Zealand’s fine arts school, he arrived in Australia in the late 1980s.

For a while, he was a postman in Tasmania, where I understand he delivered the mail with his favourite dog, named Mullah, assisting from a basket tied to his red postie bike.

His move West was described by his stepson as: “Horatio T. Birdbath… married my mother and sailed across Bass Strait to drive the Nullarbor to the hills of Perth. Packed to the roof in their Datsun 120Y with their cats and their 3 dogs and cartons of Peter Jackson and f*** all else”

In about 1992, he rolled down the hill to Fremantle, a place he fell in love with and described as “the last Bohemia before gentrification”. It would be his forever home.

I first met him about a year later, and he made an instant impression with his clothes, charisma and wit. Over more than 30 years, I have loved seeing Horatio become a most beloved member of our community as he has passionately pursued his art, embracing the absurd and the unconventional – and doing justice to his talent.

If you look around, you’ll see Horatio’s talent displayed all around our wonderful port city.

He was a master of intricate, hand-drawn line art and colourful paint-pen compositions. His creative legacy can be seen across the city, most notably at Horatio’s Wall located directly behind Gino’s Cafe on the Cappuccino Strip.

When I was mayor, the City of Fremantle commissioned him to design murals on the planter boxes in the Cappuccino Strip and to paint the bollards around Walyalup Koort. In both cases, he meticulously brightened up our streets with his signature style.

He would joke that he was Fremantle’s alternative mayor. This was a role I couldn’t refuse, and even though I paid badly, it was one he continued to fill after I left office

For Horatio, life was art. From his clothes to his clever and playful wordplay, Horatio added so much to Fremantle, a place that he used as his personal, open-air office and canvas.

He leaves behind a community that is both heartbroken he is gone and thankful for his contribution.

We are told he died with a smile on his face, but anyone who knows Horatio well also knows that might too be another of his playful quips beyond the grave.

What we do know is that he lived fully with unwavering commitment to his life’s motto: “do justice to your talent.”

Note: If you would like to know more, a public Facebook memorial group “Farewell Horatio” has been established for the community to share photos, stories, and details about an upcoming celebration of his life.

*By Dr Brad Pettitt MLC, former Mayor of Fremantle

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