Community

War Efforts – 1940-45

Recovering Soldiers

During the Second World War, Roberta assisted in the War Effort as a part-time assistant at the Red Cross Centre at Yaralla Military Hospital. Here she volunteered in the crafts room to assist returned soldiers with their rehabilitation.

Children’s Centre

Also during the war, Roberta volunteered her time at the Erskinville Children’s Centre (6-12 years of age). She attended every week on a part-time basis and undertook activities for the children.

National Service

Roberta was a volunteer member of Australian Women’s National Service. She reached the rank of Lieutenant.

Wellington, NSW – 1960-64

Monarch Hall

Responsible for hosting numerous charity events, including judging Miss Australia, Roberta also designed, made, and installed decorations for the hall, stage, foyer and chandelier, transforming the venue. She also designed and created decorations for many debutantes’ balls held in Monarch Hall. Along with her design work, she used Monarch Hall as a venue to host a variety of talks and lectures on Art and Art Appreciation given to local schools, the Red Cross, and other organisations.

Wellington Tourist Festival Art Prize

Roberta was appointed by Wellington Shire Council as Director-Organiser of the Inaugural Wellington Tourist Festival Art Prize. She designed the entry form, catalogue, promotional material and organised the venue for the prize. The exhibition was held in Cameron Park under three large marquees, with works displayed on hessian covered steel-mesh panels on loan from local farmers; supported by leading artists from Sydney and the Bathurst/Orange area and judged by Roland Wakelin, opened by Sheila Cornelius, winner Margo Lewers.

Wollongong, NSW – 1963-69

In 1963, Roberta relocated to Wollongong and helped to establish a regional gallery, becoming a committee member. The Wollongong City Art Gallery opened in 1965.

Ampol Showroom

Roberta designed the Ampol oil-heating showroom on Hospital Hill, Wollongong, NSW.

The Creative Art of Flower Arrangement

Roberta organised and mounted an exhibition  to launch The Creative Art of Flower Arrangement by Lena Malouf, at Wollongong Town Hall Annexe. The exhibition included twenty flower arrangements by Lena Malouf accompanied by twenty of Roberta’s paintings and three sculptures by May Barry. The Wollongong exhibition and book launch resulted in Lena Malouf winning the Angus & Robertson’s book-launch competition from a field of twenty authors.

Historic Berrima, NSW – 1972-2000

Berrima Village District Arts SocietyRoberta has been a member of the Berrima District Arts society since 1972. She is still currently an acting member of this society.

Roberta joined Berrima Village Advisory Committee, Wingecarribee Shire Council. She represented Berrima Village Advisory Committee, serving on that committee for 10 years until 1990 when disbanded by council.

Historic Berrima

Roberta designed the quintessential entry boards for Berrima Village. She was responsible for the design, images, structures and installation of the entry boards. Roberta was influential in the naming of “Historic Berrima”. She lobbied John Fahey, and with his support, both North and South entrances to the village had the “Historic Berrima” sign and symbol erected.

She also designed images, lettering and colours, [mustard/gold/black] for all Berrima street signs and listing boards. These ideas were quickly adopted by other local villages.

Berrima Correctional Centre

Organised by the warden or Berrima Correctional Centre for prisoners to attend outside duties with Roberta. Roberta facilitated work to be performed by prisoners in the enhancement of Berrima street design landscape and historic sites.

Street Banners and Flags

Roberta was involved in the designing, constructing and funding of numerous banners for events and festivals within the Berrima and Bowral community.  Thirty fabric banners for street flagpoles celebrating the Bicentenary of Berrima were developed. Roberta designed and made all thirty fabric, tulip, street banners for the Bowral Tulip Festival, creating new designs for the festival each year. She also designed and made thirty festive banners with Court House design for Berrima, also creating new designs every year. The flagpoles were made possible by the sponsorship of Boral as a bicentenary gift.

Flag designs were introduced as a way to promote community work in the local area and celebrate Historic Berrima

 Bicentenary of Berrima 1981

Berrima Bicentennial Promotions at Martin Place, Sydney: Roberta designed small flags to be given away featuring Berrima Court House and Jail posters. Six members of Berrima Business Houses took part in the celebrations wearing a colonial costume. From Martin Place, Roberta conducted a major interview with Buzz Kennedy from 2BL to promote Berrima.

Australia Day Committee

President of Australia Day Committee for Berrima, Wingecarribee Shire. Also nominated for Citizen of the Year.

The Regional Gallery of Wingecarribee was formed by a small volunteer committee and was granted the Moss Vale railway residence by the council as a venue, that they were to restore. Roberta was asked to be the inaugural artist to exhibit her work. She paid the large cost for the transport and insurance of numerous artworks to be placed on loan within the Regional Gallery. In an attempt to raise money for the struggling  enterprise, she designed and printed the exhibition catalogues at her own expense. Sadly, the Regional Gallery had only a few exhibits after Roberta’s. The council’s lack of support for the gallery led to the building being sold with no alternative venue provided.

Christmas Decorations

Roberta was requested by Wingecarribee Shire Council to design and install the Moss Vale Christmas Display at Leighton Park.

Business Houses Association

Roberta was a Foundation Member of Business Houses Association and served on the executive committee from 1973 to 1998. She designed and organised the production of the first brochure and eight subsequent brochures for Bowral Business Houses.

She also designed a T-shirt and poster for famous Berrima outlaw, Jackie Jackie Westwood, for Berrima Business Houses.

Wingecarribee Shire Council Tourism Board

Appointed to the Wingecarribee Shire Council Tourism Board, Roberta was a part of a team to assist in promotions, design presentation and the general working of the Tourism Centre, which subsequently won nine awards. The team was led by Joanna Gash, Tourist Officer and later Federal MP, now Mayor of Shoalhaven Shire.

SCEGGS Darlinghurst – 2006-present

Throughout her career, Roberta has taken an interest in art education, enthusing children about art, acting as a mentor to young artists, and promoting the work of emerging and important established artists, nationally and internationally.  As an old girl of SCEGGS, Roberta has given a great deal back to her former school. In 2006 the Roberta Bell-Allen Award, for senior creative arts students, was established. It was awarded to one girl graduating from Year 12, to receive a mentor in order to facilitate out-of-school-work in the creative arts field.  In 2007 she established the Roberta Bell-Allen Award, SCEGGS Darlinghurst, for senior creative arts students.The recipient of the award was selected by the head of school and the head of the art department, also providing financial support to assist in the first year of further studies

The award was provided in this manner for 5 years. In 2011 Roberta broadened the award by appointing a practising artist to hold a practical workshop at the school. This contribution paid for professional artists to hold a workshop with students, enabling many art students at SCEGGS to model professional art practice, gaining an understanding of how an artist thinks, sees and works. Here is the story so far:

• 2011 –  workshop – introduced David Fairburn, drawing and painting, as the first tutor
• 2012– workshop – Jenny Sages, visual artist
• 2013 –  workshop – Elizabeth Cummings, visual artist: painting, printing and drawing
• 2014 –  excursion – a visit to May Barry’s sculptor studio and workshop in the Calderwood Valley, facilitated by Tori de Mestre [Visual Artist]
• 2015 –  workshop – Peter Sharp, collage artist in conjunction with Ella Condon, digital photographer
• 2016 –  excursion –  to the Australian, Screen, Television and Radio School

Along with assisting and mentoring students, she has donated the sculpture “Genesis” by May Barry (see left). Roberta worked tirelessly to ensure that the restoration, delivery and installation all went off without a hitch. The sculpture now resides within SCEGGS campus. Roberta continues to play an active part in the SCEGGS community and is helping encourage the next generation of artists to emerge.