The discovery of inscriptions , loosely inserted inclusions, bookplates , non-related old photos , birthday cards, letters , newspaper cuttings , perhaps margin notes criticising the author and even banknotes in books adds spice to the relentless hunt for interesting items .
While the subject matter of the above reprint of a 1938 book unearthed in a North Queensland op shop was interesting enough , the title page stamp of a previous owner resulted in a follow up which linked Indonesia , New Zealand and Cairns ,Queensland.
That person, Jacobus Theodorus (Theo) Couwenberg, it was discovered , had only recently died in Cairns , aged 97. He had been born in Tanjung Benoa, Indonesia , in l927.
A Cairns death notice said he was a man with a sense of humour whose life journey had taken him through various countries . However, it was Cairns where he felt most at home, with many friends in the city's Indonesian-Australian community.
A diesel fuel injection specialist , he had retired at 60 and had enthusiastically engaged with his "true passion"- painting .
His love for art was said to be evident in the vivid still life and portraits he created, capturing the essence of the world around him with his brushes. His works reflected his deep appreciation for nature and humanity, transforming simple moments into timeless pieces of beauty.
It was subsequently discovered his wife , Winifred , had died in Cairns in 2023. "Winnie" had been born in Mojokerto, Java, Indonesia, on November 27, 1927, and had met her husband in the Netherlands. Known for her warm hospitality , especially in the Dutch-Indonesian community, she was a wonderful Indonesian cook .
The book ,regarded as a classic in the literature of Bali, was written by Walter Spies in collaboration with Beryl de Zoete . Spies , born in Moscow , where his German father was a diplomat, educated in Germany , studied music and became a painter , composer , musicologist , moved to Java in l923, lived for a time in Bali.
He was the first to appreciate and record Balinese music and created the Bali Museum of which he was the curator .
During World War ll he and other German internees were deported aboard a ship in January l942 bound for Ceylon ,which was bombed by the Japanese, and he drowned .
The co-author, Beryl de Zoete,born London of Dutch descent , was a British ballet dancer, orientalist , dance critic and reseacher, died in l962.
(Bali. Dance . Cairns.)
