David will explain how and why he wrote this book about Walter Withers and Fanny Flinn. He will discuss the role Walter’s father and grandfather played in Walter’s career choice. Fanny Flinn’s contribution to Walter’s decisions were crucial. David will answer questions and sign his book. He is a retired clergyman, now a genealogist, at Phillip Island.

Walter H Withers was an Australian landscape painter of the Heidelberg school, a friend of Fred McCubbin, Tom Roberts and many others.

In this book the 250 year history of the Withers' tailoring business is explored to find how and why Withers chose to become a painter against the wishes of his Victorian father, a successful and rich rope manufacturer. The influence of his grandfather is newly explored, his father's private art collection freshly examined. The combination of grandfather and father helps us understand more about what drove Walter Withers to paint.

For the art historian there is new ground to consider. For the genealogist here is an example of how to turn raw data into a story.