The Solas Fund was established by Michael Bentley in loving memory of Christine Caleidin to support the art and science of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy.
To give to the TLC Foundation through the Solas Fund, please click here. To select the Solas Fund, please click the drop down arrow beside the TLC Foundation in the ‘Transaction Details’. Your support enables the TLC to continue protecting and managing nature in Tasmania.
The Solas Fund was established by Michael Bentley in loving memory of Christine who died in 2016. Christine was born in England but her roots were in Ireland. When she was a young girl, her parents migrated to Adelaide. Christine loved music and art, border collies, and walking in beautiful places. She was passionate about the environment and a strong advocate for social justice. She could see the big picture and the fine detail.
Christine and Michael chose to move to Hobart in 2011. Tasmania, for them, was where their project of conviviality – living with the human and more-than-human world – could be realised. Christine loved the wildness and the beauty of Tasmania. The temperate climate suited her, reminding her of Ireland. Solas is the Irish word for light. As a silk painter, Christine had a discerning eye for colour and revelled in the splendour of the ever-changing Tasmanian light.
Solas is also an old French word, which gives us the English word “solace”. The Solas Fund honours Christine’s spirit, which, to paraphrase the song by Shane Howard and Neil Murray, you can find anywhere between the mountains and the sea.
Banner image: ‘Spirit of Conviviality’, painting on silk by Christine Caleidin
