1979

The Friends of the Geelong Gallery was established in 1979, beginning as a group of Geelong Gallery subscribers passionate about supporting Geelong Gallery and enhancing community engagement. One of their suggestions was ‘Sundays at the Gallery’, a weekly program of activities and educational opportunities. 

Over the years, the Friends also helped raise funds for 53 acquisitions to the permanent collection, including 40 works by Australian artist Eric Thake, purchased jointly with the Gallery Grasshoppers in 1986 (another of Geelong Gallery’s key past support groups). 

The Friends of the Geelong Gallery disbanded in 2019, but their influence and great work is still evident in our collection today.