It was a near death experience overseas which prompted Jo Dyson to return home and celebrate those Australians who save lives.
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And, the irony of doing an art project celebrating the Aussie lifesaving fraternity is not lost on the Shellharbour Public School teacher and artist.
But almost being run over while in Dubai also reminded Ms Dyson to live life to the fullest.
In 2001 she promised herself she would never take life for granted after her husband died while diving off the coast of Port Kembla. Mrs Dyson was pregnant at the time.
‘’At some point in my grief, I came to realise that if I had to live without him, then I would make my life count by living it fully. Nearly being ran over in Dubai reminded me again of the importance of living a full life,’’ Mrs Dyson said.
The tragedy came almost 10 years after Mrs Dyson’s father died when he was electrocuted while working at BHP.
‘’He was 43 at the time, the same age I am now. It happened the same year my son was born, 1992,’’ she said.
Mrs Dyson is adamant her ‘’sob story’’ has made her stronger and she is proud of her journey. She is also looking to make the most of the next chapter in her life.
‘’I thought it [Dubai] was the end of the chapter and my story had finished. But I have another chapter and I know what I want from this next chapter,’’ she said.
‘’I want to use this extra chapter to create my own version of the show Fantasy Island which I had grown up watching as a child. I thought that getting off a plane and landing in a place where you could play out your life's fantasy was a terrific notion.
‘’And so, that is what I plan on doing. When I get off the plane and land in Amsterdam, for one month I’m not a school teacher, I’m not a wife and mother, I’m an artist.’’
To help this become a reality Mrs Dyson has been leading a community project to recognise and celebrate the ‘’heroic’’ work of Illawarra surf lifesavers.
She has enlisted the help of the community to provide photos which she uses for her portraits and landscapes.
‘’So in a sense we are co-creators of the artwork and together we all celebrate and recognise the people who give up their weekends to make sure we are safe when we are in the water,’’ Mrs Dyson said.
‘’In a way this is also becoming my lifesaving project.’’ North Wollongong SLSC will host an exhibition of her works and others celebrating Illawarra surf lifesavers towards the end of April. ‘’Part of the proceeds will go to surf lifesaving and part of it will hopefully fund my trip to Amsterdam.’’ To get involved visit Mrs Dyson’s Facebook page Jo Bonaz Art.