Bruno Torfs was born in South America and he lived there till the age of fifteen.
At this point the whole family made the move to Europe seeking new opportunities.
After training and working
as a sign writer Bruno made a gradual transition to become a fulltime artist.
Through his diverse talents and a spirit for adventure Bruno created a unique
style full of culture and character. This was achieved through many trips
around the world, both alone and with his wife Marleen.
Bruno and his family made a decision to pack up and move to Australia to create a garden that he would run as a permanent attraction.
The family arrived to Melbourne and shortly after had found the perfect place in the small Victorian village of Marysville. The luscious sub-alpine forests of
the surrounding area were the ideal setting for Bruno's plan and luckily the
property he purchased had a large section of rain forest attached. After five
months of backbreaking work Bruno's art and sculpture garden was opened to the
public. Also on the property was a gallery that housed over 200 of his artworks
brought over from Europe that included oil paintings, sketches and smaller
sculptures.
Please click on these 2 links to tour his beautiful gardens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MYOrmeo7e8&feature=related
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiclYnV5RMY
Unfortunately on the 7th of February 2009 a bushfire raged through the township, decimating everything in its path without mercy and claimed the lives of their friends, neighbors and so may Australians indiscriminately. Bruno was extremely lucky to survive with the rest
of his family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju7yMC97ZCk&feature=related
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaaLUctj1JU&NR=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg3nfwoWvwQ&feature=related
Thirsty Koala
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPcfvkVWCT4&feature=related
Bruno's home and gallery were completely destroyed in the blaze. The main attraction, the sculpture garden, had also been heavily damaged.
After the fires swept through the town of Marysville, Bruno and the rest of the townsfolk were shut out of the town by authorities for two months
while the police conducted an investigation and attempted to identify the
remains of the victims.
This was a testing time for all Marysvillians, with most of the townsfolk unable to know how much of their homes and businesses there were left to return to.
Fortunately for Bruno and the family they received overwhelming support from family, friends, acquaintances and perfect strangers from all over the globe during
this difficult period.
This was a truly inspiring experience that helped them to find the strength to face the challenge of rebuilding their lives.
Bruno already knew at this point that his home and gallery were completely destroyed, but the extent of the damage to his garden was yet to been discerned. The
terracotta forms of his sculptures resisted the heat of the fire almost
completely, but the maelstrom of falling branches and tumbling trees had
reduced many of the life-sized artworks to mere rubble and dust.
The forest itself was utterly devastated and this struck Bruno hardest of all.
The loss of so much that was dear to his heart was a heavy blow for Bruno to bare, but compared to the fact that others had lost family members and loved ones, it
was a bitter-sweet victory to have salvaged something from ashes of that ill
fated day.
There was no time to hesitate or brood, it was straight into the mammoth job of restoring the gardens and rebuilding his life. The
quest to bring the garden back to its former glory will be a long and
challenging process, but it is already well under way.
This has been no small feat. The mess left over by the fires was atrocious. Literally tons of debris had to be removed from the forested area. After
that is was time to start replanting. The native ferns rebounded very well and
the green is slowly returning to the area. It will be many years though before
the forest resembles the lush wonderland that it used to be.
Please click this link and it will take you to Bruno's internet site.
http://www.brunosart.com/rebuild.html
51 Falls Road
Marysville
VIC 3779
Australia
(03) 5963 3513
A tribute to the lost lives "Beautiful Smiles"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg3nfwoWvwQ&feature=related
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