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Tributes have flowed for beloved Fremantle icon Horatio T Birdbath who passed away on Saturday.
The 73-year-old artist – known as Fremantle’s last bohemian – left his creative mark across the port city throughout the 34 years he called it home.
WA Greens leader Brad Pettitt led the long list of heartfelt tributes to Birdbath, who the MP called his friend.
“It’s with sadness and thanks, that today we remember the extraordinary life of Horatio T Birdbath,” Pettitt wrote.
“Horatio was a friend, a Freo icon, an extraordinary artist, and someone who lived life in his own fabulously unique way.”
Pettitt said he first met Birdbath in the early 1990s when the artist first moved to Fremantle.
“Over the more than 30 years since, he continued to be a loved member of our community as he passionately pursued his art, embracing the absurd and the unconventional – he did justice to his talent,” he said.
“If you look around, you’ll see Horatio’s talent displayed all around our wonderful port city, a city he chose to call home.
“From the art on the planter boxes in the cappuccino strip, to the painted bollards around Walyalup Koort, to Horatio’s Wall at the back of Gino’s Café, these are all ongoing reminders of his unique and special talent.
“There will be more to be said about Horatio’s life down the track, but for today, let’s remember him and his powerful insistence to do ‘justice to your talent’.”
The self-described “creative of a certain renown” was a familiar face in Fremantle with his ever-evolving mural on Market Street, a drawcard for tourists and locals alike.
Born in New Zealand to a dressmaker and seamstress, Birdbath didn’t arrive in Australia until the late 1980s, with his move to Fremantle happening a decade later in the early months of 1992.
Famous for his eclectic wardrobe of vibrant colours, patterns, and statement hats, Birdbath wore his individuality proudly. As he told WAtoday five years ago, “eccentrics are people who have got the guts to be themselves.”
Birdbath often took part in various exhibitions across Fremantle and said his inspiration for being an artist was simply that “I’m a creative”.
“In the words of Pablo Picasso, ‘Everyone is born an artist, the problem is most people forget’. I haven’t forgotten and never will,” he previously told this masthead.
Fremantle mayor Ben Lawver offered his condolences and said Birdbath would long remain in the hearts of those he met during his colourful journey.
“Horatio was uniquely Fremantle and our collective spirit has dimmed a little with his passing. He’ll be in the minds and in the hearts of the many people he touched during his time with us,” he said.
Fremantle MP Simone McGurk said no one did Freo bohemianism like Birdbath.
“Farewell Horatio T Birdbath, who I understand has taken his final bow,” she wrote on social media.
“His intricate line art (like that great mural behind Gino’s) took people into a different world.
“A talented street artist and an ever-present colourful character on our streets, he made Freo that bit more, well, Freo.
“It’s a fittingly grey arvo out there because Freo will be a bit less colourful without him.”
A Facebook group called Farewell Horatio was created over the weekend with almost 400 people joining to share photos and memories of the artist.
Details on a celebration of Birdbath’s life will be shared to the page at a later date.
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