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| Edna "Gillem" Reid in 1996 with her painting Garden of Cosmos. |
Originally from New South Wales, Mrs Reid moved to New Norfolk as a girl in the mid-1950s and became a key community member. She died at the Hobart Private Hospital on June 16, aged 79.
Well-known as an artist in later years, Mrs Reid initially worked as a tracer in the draughting office at the Boyer newsprint mill. She met and married local boy Garry Reid and together they raised three children, Susan, Arthur and Stephen.
As her prominence as a painter grew in the 1990s, many came to know her by her artistic name Gillem rather than Edna. "Gillem" was a composite of her maiden name: Gill, Edna May.
She painted murals around the town, taught Adult Education classes and was a member of the Derwent Valley Regional Arts. She had a keen interest in the recently-established Derwent Valley Arts group's proposal for an arts and culture precinct at Willow Court. Edna and Garry were both keen gardeners and in 2005 Edna was named the Derwent Valley Council's Australia Day Citizen of the Year.
Mrs Reid is survived by her husband Garry and their three children, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Her funeral at St Matthew's Anglican Church in Bathurst St, New Norfolk, will be held at noon on Monday. Donations to the Asthma Foundation may be made at the service in lieu of flowers.
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