By Romy Stephens
Lynley Dodd’s tales of Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy have resonated with generations of Australians for over 35 years.
One person who has become almost more familiar with the stories than Lynley herself is exhibition curator, Penelope Jackson.
Penelope is the mastermind behind The Lynley Dodd Story exhibition, set to hit the Yarra Valley this September.
She will bring the likes of Hairy Maclary, Slinky Malinki, Schnitzel Von Krumm and Scarface Claw to life at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum.
But Penelope is not your average exhibition curator. Since first meeting Lynley 14 years ago, she has developed a strong relationship with the author and her books.
“I have known Lynley for a very long time and I’ve actually created three exhibitions of her work,” she said.
“She’s more than just the mother of Hairy Maclary.”
The pair first met 14 years ago when Penelope interviewed Lynley for a magazine article.
“It’s a bit embarrassing actually because I stood on her cat which became Slinky Malinky,” Penelope said.
The pair both came from Tauranga, New Zealand and Penelope’s children had grown up reading the tales of Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy.
Before the interview, Penelope had developed a list of exhibitions she wanted to create, the story of Lynley Dodd was one of them.
Penelope said it was initially tough to get Lynley to agree to the idea, but once she did they never looked back.
“She was very hesitant to let her babies go,” Penelope said.
“We didn’t even seal the back of the frames up because they were temporary.”
The very first exhibition of Lynley’s work was in New Zealand in 2011.
“We were inundated with visitors and very soon lots of other galleries wanted the exhibition,” Penelope said.
“It just went to several venues and then the Australians wanted it.”
In 2015, The Lynley Dodd Story was created especially for the State Library of Western Australia. Since then, it has travelled all around Australia and New Zealand.
Penelope said visitors attending the exhibition can expect to see more than just Hairy Maclary books.
“What I show is Lynley’s story as a writer and an illustrator but it’s also the development of characters,” she said.
“I’ve interwoven the popular with the unfamiliar characters because they are gorgeous characters as well and they’ve had great stories.
“You will see the very first little drawing of Hairy Maclary, it’s very tiny.”
The Lynley Dodd Story features original artworks, unpublished illustrations and the history behind the Hairy Maclary and Friends book series.
Before the official exhibition opening, ‘An Evening with Dame Lynley Dodd’ will allow fans to attend a Q&A session with Lynley and Penelope, take a sneak peek at the exhibition and have their book signed.
The opening weekend will also be full of excitement with a Family Fun Day and a Writers Masterclass with Lynley and Penelope.
As much as all the side events add to the exhibition, Penelope said visitors will mainly be blown away by the quality of Lynley’s work.
“Her books are really beautiful to read and that’s the comments we get when people come to see the exhibition.”
“The language is really special and I think that’s the magic of her books.”
The Lynley Dodd Story will begin on 7 September and run until 26 January at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum.
For more information or to buy tickets, visit http://ach.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Home.
