The talk of Tecoma

By Tania Martin
A FAMOUS painting of a naked lady will be the talk of Tecoma this month, as one of the hills’ historic refurbished homesteads is opened to the public.
A copy of the Toilet of Venus will take pride of place in what was once the home of Christina and Annie Jones.
In its day, the locals dubbed the home “the little bush townhouse”.
But it was more than just a tin shed, despite being fashioned from kerosene containers.
It’s another creation of local World War I digger, Horatio Jones.
There are many stories surrounding the time when Mr Jones returned home from the war with little time to live and just a pocket full of change.
Following his return in 1916, Mr Jones faced an uphill battle to overcome a strained heart muscle.
Mr Jones also faced poverty on his return, following the death of his parents.
He then set about finding a home for himself and his two half-sisters, Christina and Annie, who had also lost their partners to the war.
In 1920, he took what was left of his inheritance and purchased a block of land in what he described as the ‘hidden valley’.
An engineer and inventor at heart, he knew how to make the best of what he had and led the amazing feat of creating a house from tin and tree saplings.
At first Mr Jones built a double-storey homestead for his family.
He went on to build another house for his sisters soon after, as they found it increasingly difficult to climb the stairs in the kerosene home.
Both houses date back to the early 1920s.
Caretaker Fleur Rodriquez and a group of volunteers have been working for years to preserve both homes.
But it is the sisters’ house that will soon be open to the public.
The group has been working hard to restore the house to its former glory and expect to open the doors by the end of the month.
Ms Rodriquez said the Sidney Myer Foundation had donated more than $7000 to help with the restoration work.
“We have overseas tourists who come here and say this (the houses) have got the grit and guts and bare bones of survival,” she said.
“It’s what they come to see – a bit of our history and heritage.”
The newly renovated house will feature artwork that held pride of place for the sisters back in the 1900s.
Ms Rodriquez said one of the paintings was a print of a 15th century nude painting commissioned by King Leo of Spain – the Toilet of Venus.
She said for years the painting was ‘hawked’ around England before being destroyed by an activist with an axe.
But Ms Rodriquez said Mr Jones loved that painting.
“He got the exact specifications of the painting off a gallery in England and painted a copy,” she said.
“It sat in the sisters’ house for years but it was stolen … we got the specifications again so we could recreate it.”
The house known as La Petite Mason de Me Sours (the house of my little sisters) is nestled in Tecoma, but the address remains a secret as it has been the victim of vandals and looters.
Anyone interested in visiting the sister’s house can call 9754 4936 to make a booking.