This story was written by Craig Cook for the Advertiser newspaper.
As a young artist in the swinging sixties, Peter Findlay
found he could make a few quid – and impress a fair few girls – by drawing
pictures of the Beatles.
Little did he think he would actually get to meet the
superstars.
The 20-year-old gave Bob Francis and Ron Tremain, the men
responsible for bringing the Beatles to Adelaide, free paintings of themselves.
They were so impressed they commissioned him to paint John,
Paul, George and Ringo.
On Friday June 12, 1964, as Findlay waited nervously in the
South Australian Hotel to meet the Beatles, calamity struck. “The picture of
John Lennon was lying on the floor when some clumsy fool stood on it,” said
Findlay, now an established international artist. “The glass smashed, leaving a
scar on John’s face.”
Findlay rang a framer, who within minutes, desperately protecting
a pane of glass, was pushing through the crowd of 15,000 screaming fans outside
the hotel.
John, Paul and George – Ringo was too ill to travel to
Adelaide and was replaced by drummer Jimmy Nichol – were thrilled with their
portraits.
“I told John the story of what had happened and he said ‘I
rather like the idea of getting a footprint on my cheek’, said Findlay,
perfectly imitating a Liverpool accent.
Lennon scribbled a lengthy thank you note to him.
His paintings were taken to England and have appeared in
several books on the Beatles. George Harrison’s portrait had pride of place
above the fireplace at his Californian home.
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