by Martin & Meredith Foster
Meredith and I first heard about the Red Hill Market from the person who interviewed us at Aus House, London, in 1975, before we left the UK to settle on the Mornington Peninsula.
Our first Red Hill Market was in February, 1977. I drove off down the Nepean Highway in an open Mini Moke. The sun rose on one side and the moon set on the other, while ahead in the distance was an electrical storm.
I set up in what others seemed to think was a free spot. Later, when Cathy Thompson, one of the organisers, came along, I was fortunate that she had already heard of my spork and foon jewellery and Meredith’s portraits and she welcomed us to the market. The weather was great and I was overjoyed to go home that day with about $100. I had recently left a job cleaning cars, forty hours a week for $100. Even running out of petrol on the way home didn’t spoil things!
Since then we have missed very few markets.
I can remember the bad days, e.g. going home with twenty cents that I found on the ground (that day it was just too wet to even think about setting up). Another time I had to use all my weight to stop the stall blowing away, while the wooden roof supports were cracking and the tarp was ripping in the blast.
Meredith is now doing portraits of the children of people she drew when they were young themselves. It’s always been a good showcase for her work.
Red Hill has atmosphere and a great variety of goodies. It’s my favourite market!