ARTIST: Ruth Leigh
TITLE: Fred Cohen
DESCRIPTION: I’ve had a lot of fun… but I’m getting to the stage now- now is it all worthwhile hanging around? Fred, now 90, has spent much of his life moving through Australia and beyond. Born in Southern Cross in Western Australia’s goldfields, he grew up in remote towns before eventually travelling further afield, living and working in cities across Australia and spending more than a decade in New Guinea. Across his life, he took on many roles—from clerical work in government departments to refuelling aircraft and working in hardware—living a life shaped by movement, adaptability and a preference for warmer climates.
In recent years, Fred has been living in Port Hedland with his son and daughter-in-law. While he reflects on a life that has been full of activity and “a lot of fun,” he is also candid about ageing, dependence, and the challenges of slowing down. Despite this, he maintains a practical outlook—recognising the importance of staying engaged, finding small routines, and continuing to take part in community life where he can.
I prefer a hot climate- I spent most of my life in the hot climate. I was born in Southern Cross in the goldfields. We lived there about two or three years, and then we went to Wiluna. Well, that was when my father took over running a shop in Wiluna.
Then we had the war. It shot everything in the arm – in ‘38. Then we went down to Perth in 1942, and I never left Perth until I was 26. Well, I had a year away- then I went to Albany for a year. Then I went to East Melbourne for 12 months, Sydney for another couple of years, then I went to New Guinea for 11 years. [I was doing] clerical work there, mainly. I worked for the government for eight years- treasury department where all the money is! I worked at an island for two years, where… my first job was refuelling. I was supervising it- I’m not a mechanic. And then I spent two years on a 52 acre island. I worked in the hardware shop. I’ve had a lot of fun.
Then when we went to, came back to Sydney a couple of years, and went to Brisbane for 40. So I spent most of my life in the hot. I’m not a big lover of cold weather. Now the last six years I’ve been in Port Hedland [to be with my son]. Well, I’ve got nowhere else to go. Yeah. My big baby looks after me. Well, circumstances come. He used to work in Darwin and on the railway, and then he got transferred to here on the rail. They lost their contract, which meant then he had to go and get a job in private enterprise. He likes driving trucks. So he did a couple of [jobs] driving trucks – with a bit of bad luck and things like that. He’s a bit like me. He’s a loner. My two sons are a lot like me. I think we’re not a friendly family.
[I’m part of a community group because] well, you need to do something. You just can’t sit at home. I mean, I retired at 65, and through the circumstances I managed to be able to buy a small house in Brisbane. Stayed there for 17 years until my wife died. And then I could have stayed in Brisbane. But I’ve got no family in Brisbane. My eldest son’s in Sydney. I decided to come up, and Paul could put me up. So I came up here.
I’m getting to the stage now- now is it all worthwhile hanging around? I mean, at 90 years of age, there’s nothing more I can do. Don’t drive. So transport is troublesome- where I have to rely on people to take me. The library group is the only group that has anything. And that’s once a week. I go to another group. I can go there five days a week. It gives me somewhere to go.
I like colouring in, so I’ll colour in. I never did it [colouring in] before. At the Village we lived in, I was treasurer for six years, so I liked book work. But [now] I like doing colouring in, so I’ll colour in. They’ve got a book here that [shows] a lot of the ships that come into the harbour. Mel’s given me [some colouring in books]. I’ve got a few of ’em. I didn’t bring any today. There’re the [book that shows the] ships that come into the harbour, the big ships, and I colour ’em in. I’ve been going through and finishing [them] off.
I don’t come up to Hedland [much], only once a week. I should’ve been up here yesterday, but no one came to pick me up, so I just went back to bed. I stayed all day in bed. I slept all day and slept all night pretty well. Well, this is when you start to… I’m starting to dream well. My daughter-in-law, she gets up and well I’m talking to myself. I have some few weird dreams and then life goes on.
MEDIUM: Oil on Canvas
$420.00
In stock
