Talks & Exhibitions

(requests for talks can be made through ‘contact tab’ on this site)

Coming Soon:

Completed:

  • 15/2/12             Ministry of Education & Heritage, Singapore
  • 15/2/12             Elias Park Primary School, Singapore
  • 16/2/12             Infant Jesus Catholic School, Singapore
  • 3/4/12               Willunga Hills Art Group
  • 2/6/12              Faith Lutheran Men’s Breakfast
  • 10/7/12            ABC radio 891 with Sonia (host)
  • 8/8/12              Brighton History Association
  • 13/2/13            Camden Park Community Ctre
  • 13/2/13            Lions Aberfoyle Pk
  • 19/2/13             Nation Seniors of Australia (SA)
  • 6/3/13               Rotary: Victor Harbour
  • 2/4/13               Probus Women’s Group, Kingston Park
  • 9/4/13              Amazing Greys Home Group (Willunga)
  • 18/4/13            Clarendon Agriculture Bureau
  • 25/4/12            Mid North  Community Men’s Shed Gathering, Burra
  • 22/5/13             Adelaide City Evening VIEW Club
  • 28/5/13             Rotary Club, Blackwood
  • 4/6/13                Resthaven School for Seniors Westbourne Park
  • 19/6/13             Uniting Church Men’s Group, Seacliff
  • 26/6/13             National Seniors North West
  • 27/6/13            Probus Men’s Group, Glenelg
  • 19/8/13             24 RAAF  SQN Association, Adelaide
  • 26/8/13             Legacy Club, Glenelg
  • 7/11/13             Probus Men’s Blackwood
  • 13/11/13           Legacy Club Brighton
  • 19/11/13           Eastern Services Reform Group Men’s Gathering
  • 5/12/13             Legacy Club of Adelaide  Inc, Head Office
  • 18/3/14             Rotary:  West Torrens
  • 7/4/14               ABC Adelaide 891, Evenings with Peter Goers
  • 23/4/14             AWM: Australian War Memorial, Canberra
  • 26/5/14             Southern Aged Care Services Forum
  • 9/7/14               Club Citroen of South Australia
  • 15/7/14             Lions Club, Brighton
  • 30/7/14            Community Centre: Camden Park
  • 8/8/14               Probus Club, Marino
  • 15/8/14             ITV News, London by phone hook up
  • 26/8/14             Lions Club, Marion
  • 26/8/14            Channel 7 ‘Today Tonight’ show: to view see details further down page
  • 1/10/14             Hillman Car Club, Adelaide
  • 10/11/14           Lions Club, Onkaparinga / Lobethal
  • 11/11/14           Oakbank Area School (GB)
  • 26/11/14          Uniting Church Brighton, Morning Fellowship
  • 13/2/15            Military Historical Society of Australia, SA Branch
  • 18/2/15            Aberfoyle Men’s Breakfast Group
  • 26/3/15            50 Plus Fellowship Group, St Matthews
  • 11/4/15             Australasian Telephone Collectors Society Inc (SA)
  • 13/4/15            Probus Club, St Marys
  • 31/5/15             Doug’s Shed, Williamstown, SA
  • 22/7/15            Rotary Club of Glenelg
  • 14/8/15             Brighton RSL (SA) – AGM – VP & VJ 70th Anniversary, a static TV display
  • 10/9/15             City of Holdfast Bay – Managers Meeting
  • 16/9/15             SA Power Networks Field Managers Annual Meeting
  • 10/10/15           Carmody / Horne re-union, Brisbane
  • 17/10/15           MBI Re-union, Port Stephens, NSW
  • 2/11/15              Legacy Widows Club, Glenelg North
  • 3/11/15              Rotary Club – Somerton Park
  • 10/11/15            Community Club@The Corner, Warradale
  • 3/2/16               Rotary Club – Hyde Park
  • 10/2/16            East Torrens Historical Society Inc
  • 17/2/16             Rotary Club – Mitcham
  • 22/2/16            Channel 44 Adelaide Community Television
  • 18/4/16            Blackwood Action Group
  • 24/11/16          University of the Third Age, Flinders Uni
  • 8/2/17              ABC Ballarat – Interview for the 75th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore
  • 1/3/17               Knights of the Southern Cross – Mixed Meeting, Brighton
  • 18/3/17             Burnside City Uniting Church
  • 5/2/19              Rotary Club of Edwardstown
  • 12/9/19             St Peters – Glenelg – Speaker’s Corner
  • April 2021      Community Centre: Camden Park
  • Sept 2021        CWA Plympton
  • Feb 2022          Rotary – Mt Barker
  • July 2022.        National Trust (SA) Mt Barker

ABC Radio Interview with Keith Bettany on 7th April 2014

Keith Bettany Interview with ABC Adelaide 891, Evenings with Peter Goers. Reproduced with kind permission from the ABC. Keith’s interview starts at 3:10 in the below recording.

Talks by Des Bettany in 1995

Interesting talks by Des to his Rotary Club in 1995. Unfortunately the first talk was not recorded that covered the lead-up to war and the British Expeditionary Force’s exploits in Belgium and France, was not recorded.

The seconds talk concerns his time back in England prior to his departure for the Far East.

Part 2 – 27/11/95

The third of Des’s talks concerns the voyage to Singapore, action in Malaya and Singapore, the capitulation and his subsequent experiences as a P.O.W.

Part 3 – 4/12/95

Current Exhibitions

A selection of Des’s artwork has been or is currently being exhibited at the following locations, please check the dates:

  • ” The Des Bettany Collection”:

               Army Museum of Australia
Keswick Barracks,  Anzac Highway, Keswick, Adelaide South Australia

Past Exhibitions:

  • “Images Of Internment: The Eye & Art Of William Haxworth”

8 February 2012 – 24 June 2012
National Library Gallery, Singapore.

  • “Their Past Is Your Future”

      The Museum of Lancashire, Lancashire, UK.

  •  “Four Days in February: Adam Park the Last Battle”

8 February 2012 – 24 June 2012
National Library Gallery, Singapore.

  •  “Japan’s Entry into the Second World War (1939 – 45)”

                Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne, Victoria

  • “70th Anniversary of The Fall of Singapore (the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity)”

The Logan City Historical Museum, Kingston, QLD.

  •  “A Sample of Des’ POW Works”

From 19/4/13
Williamstown Library’s Heritage Anzac Display, Williamstown, Vic.

  • “From Changi to SA – the cartoon legacy of POW Bettany”

In 1974, artist Des Bettany retired as Acting Principal of the oldest art school in Australia, the SA School  of                 Art, now within the University of SA. His journey to Australia began in the cruel setting of Changi – the  Japanese POW camp, where he gained respect and affection for Australian prisoners, recording shared     experiences in a fascinating cartoon legacy.

7 May 2013 –  29 May 2013
Kerry Packer Civic Gallery Exhibitions, Adelaide, South Australia

  • Oakbank Area School: for Remembrance Day

11/11/2014 to 20/11/2014

  • “The TUGS of WAR”18th April – 24th May 2015, Royal South Australian Society of Arts,  Adelaide, SA
  • Laughter of Our Own Making -Cartoons from the Secret Artwork of  the Changi Prison Camp 1942 to 1945: London from August 15th 2020. https://www.cartoonmuseum.org/laughter-of-our-own-making
  • Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Repatriation of Far East Prisoners of War 1945-46: a virtual commemoration on https://www.fepow75.org.uk/ created at Southampton, UK. 7/10/2020.