LEVEL 1, RIGHT
EAST WING
Childhood photo of Bryce and Billy
Verso: “22 - 2 - 90, 5 years 10½ months” Written by Maree Connor
On loan from the personal collection of Bryce Connor (b. 1984)
This is my favourite childhood photo of Bryce. He’s just so adorable!!
He looks like such a good kid, in his holiday t-shirt, shorts and trainers. The black digital wristwatch on his right hand was probably the first one he owned too. Imagine how excited he was to receive it.
Look at the way he’s hugging the family’s dog with such joy. They look like best friends. The dog’s patient and resolute expression is something to be admired.
I imagine that Billy was happily sitting in a shady spot on the grass, minding his own business, when little Bryce spotted him sitting alone and rushed over to give him a big hug, as best friends do.
I can’t work out what it says on his t-shirt, but it shows a hopping kangaroo, wearing a cork hat to keep the flies away. It looks like the kangaroo is also smoking a pipe and maybe carrying a sealed duffle bag, with a billy can hanging off the end. Some of the text printed on the t-shirt is hidden, but the top half appears to say, “HOP OUTBACK TO”. The destination written on the bottom half of the t-shirt is obscured.
I even love the way the photo has faded with time. This shows it’s been proudly displayed on his Mum’s wall for years, likely placed in a sunny spot that she would pass by daily. Even the frame offers a look into home decor of the ‘90s. I’m glad it hasn’t been updated with something more contemporary. A couple of years ago, Bryce’s Mum gave him this photo so we could display it in our home. It now sits on our bookshelf, surrounded by plants, together with a few of my childhood photos too.
Whenever we meet up with Bryce’s Mum, I love it when she shares stories about what he was like as a child. With my parents not being alive anymore, I feel like Bryce misses out on this same connection to my past. Still, he likes to imagine that I would have been such a good kid too.