Celebrating Seniors: Living Life My Way - This sculptor is in a mould of his own!
There are not many authors who publish their ninth book at the age of 96.
But Ken Scarlett - sculptor, educator and author specialising in Australian sculpture - is doing just this.
An odd lot is being launched at the Australian Galleries and is an eclectic snapshot of Ken’s life, written with his usual sharp insight and self-depreciating sense of humour. Chapters include snippets of a life that is both brilliant and colourful.
This Seniors Month 2024, Uniting AgeWell is proud to celebrate incredible seniors like Ken, who lives at Uniting AgeWell Hawthorn Community.
Ken laughs as he recounts how as a teaching student he listened to a speech by then Prime Minister Robert Menzies, warning about the threat of Russia during the Cold War. “So, I promptly turned off the radio and joined the local Communist Party.”
Notwithstanding, Ken reckons Menzies would have been proud of what he has achieved.
Ken was awarded an OAM (Order of Australia) in 1996 for services to sculpture. His illustrious career includes writing nine books, the most famous being Australian Sculptors. Ken has curated sculpture exhibitions in major galleries, had articles published across the globe, lectured at tertiary institutions and at art galleries, and been the director of Gryphon Gallery in Melbourne. His sculptures still grace numerous galleries.
“Thank goodness I bucked the family tradition,” he grins, as he gleefully delivers one of his pithy one-liners. “My Dad was a butcher, so was my grandfather and my uncle.”
Ken counts his children, grandchild and his wife Marian, who is a talented musician and music teacher, as his world.
Ken, who uses a wheelchair, opted to move into Hawthorn Community recently because he worried it was becoming too difficult for Marion to care for him at home. “I’m in pretty good shape otherwise though,” he says with his trademark twinkle in his eye. “Especially when I have never exercised or played any sport all my life. I don’t even like watching sport on TV.”
He enjoys his new home and says the food and the care are excellent. “The staff go out of their way to make things very comfortable for me.”
And is there another book in the offing? “My mind is still sharp, so we’ll see,” he says.