BIOGRAPHY: Lina Eve

My parents met in Germany in April 1945, only days after the Americans liberated the prisoners of the horrific Nordhausen extermination camp. My father was a Polish Jew and spent the war years incarcerated in Nazi concentration camps, Gross Rosen, Auschwitz, and finally, Nordhausen. My mother was a Polish Catholic who found herself in Germany as a displaced person. I was conceived not long after they met.

Jacob Fleischer: 1946	Zofia Halupka: 1945

When the evil cloud of the Holocaust descended on Europe, my father promised his mother if he survived, he would marry a Jewish girl. Soon after they met my parents found a Rabbi & my mother began studying to convert. They were married as soon as my mother's conversion was complete. I was born a few weeks later in Eschwege, Germany, on March 11, 1946.

My first passion was dancing, but it was deemed unsuitable when I threw up with nervous excitement just before the concert our little class was to perform!

Lina ("Lilu") Germany, 1949	Lina ballerina, Germany, 1950

My parents decided to immigrate to Australia. Germany was still home to many Nazi sympathizers, and was filled with nightmare memories for my parents, especially my father, who had lost all but one of his large family during the Holocaust. In 1951 they booked passage on the ship "Skaubryn" for Melbourne, Australia. It was time to leave war torn Europe behind and start a new life.

I don't recall boarding the ship, but I remember my parents telling me we were passing through the Red Sea. I climbed the ship's rails to look over the side and was shocked to see only muddy brown water! At that moment I became convinced my parents were impostors! The upheaval of leaving everything I'd known probably distorted my perceptions as I felt increasingly alienated from my family.

Bear-walking, Germany 1951

We settled in Melbourne and my father worked long hours. He tried to stifle the nightmares of torture and starvation in the Nazi concentration camps, but the stress would often burst through in violent explosions of temper. In those days, seeking help with mental afflictions was considered shameful, so his outbursts escalated as I grew older. Being at home became a dangerous place.

My father died of a heart attack when I was 15. He was 48. My mother found it very hard to cope after his death as he'd made all the decisions and paid the bills. Being a self centered teenager, I wasn't much help. My mother and I often clashed and my grades deteriorated. I left school and fell pregnant to my first boyfriend at 17. He soon faded from the scene, and with no support I lost my baby to adoption.

Lina 1969 photo John Eve	1st Husband: John Richard Eve: 1968 photo Lina Eve

Sydney 1964: I was making money folk singing, but the trauma of losing my child haunted me, so I left Australia for Europe. A shipboard romance with a handsome Englishman, John Eve, led to him following me to Israel and persuading me to travel back to Europe with him. We lived in London, and married in Paris 2 years later. At first I continued singing for our living but eventually this became problematic for the relationship, so John and I started creating and selling hand made silver jewellery to arty shops and on the Portebllo Road markets. A few years later we moved to the village of Grantchester, near Cambridge, and rented the west wing of a gorgeous old house there. We traveled most summers, picking up work and selling our wares. In some ways it was idyllic, but by the end of 1969 the marriage was over. I left John and England and boarded an overland bus to India.

Many years and relationships later, John Eve went missing in Cambridge and was never seen again. "Where are you John? Hope you are alive and well"

Playing for kids in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) 1971	By the Taj Mahal, Agra India, 1971

Back in OZ in 1971 I survived a major car accident. My then boyfriend died and I was in a coma for 8 days. When I regained consciousness I was told my multiple injuries meant I would never walk again, nor be able to have more children. Despite fracturing my neck, back, pelvis on both sides, both wrists, & sternum, and sustaining 40 stitches in the head and some brain damage. I was very fortunate to walk out of the hospital after only 3 months. A few years of healing allowed me to have 2 more children and eventually, to go trekking in the Himalayas!

With "Didi" Arion (John) Sulkowski 1973	With Melea Moonbeam Enchanted Wood 1977 Photo: Paul Wolf

1973: Using the insurance money from my car accident, I bought a property in country NSW, and with the help of many friends, started building a hand made house out of 2nd hand materials. I called the property "Enchanted Wood." Meanwhile the nearby village of Nimbin inspired many wonderful friendships and brought music back into my life.

Performing Nimbin 1977 Photo: Paul Wolf	Rock Chick 1986

The 1980's was spent making music, going on band tours, some recording and more work on the house. I trained, then worked as a counsellor and marriage celebrant for many years and in 1994 went back to school, finally finishing a Fine Arts degree at SCU university, Lismore NSW in 1998 studying painting, photography, and computer graphics.

During this time, (1990) after years of searching, and often hindered by bureaucratic obstacles, I found the daughter I'd lost to adoption. After a brief honeymoon period we drifted apart, unable to bridge the damage of our separation. The difficulties we encountered led me to research adoption issues, and practice activism and art, in the hope my work might help others. (see Adoption & Reunion pages)

A further 2 years were spent studying video, both at Lismore TAFE, and the Northern Rivers School of Performing Arts where I discovered the magic of creating video.

At work, Enchanted Wood 2002	On location in Italy with Gianni Menichetti 2009

 

AWARDS

Best Childrens CD, Dolphin Awards, for "The Mystical Uniroo" 1991

WA. Finalist Mandorla Art Prize, New Norcia Gallery, 1996.
Southern Cross Arts Festival, Ballina. (Highly Commended for Portraiture) 1996

First Prize for Photography, Bentley Art Show NSW 1997.
First Prize, National Ilford Photographic Competition for 2nd Year Tertiary Students, 1997
First Prize for Photography, Bentley Art Show, NSW 1998.
First Prize, National Ilford Photographic Competition for 3rd Year Tertiary Students, 1998

Selected for Women Artist's Diary 1997
Selected for Women Artist's Diary 1998

Australian Best Music video, WOW film Festival Sydney 2008 for "Bitter Winds"

"His Savage Mistress" video selected for the Byron Bay film Festival 2010