1 - Bella Kelly
World-class muralist Anat Ronen from Texas and Bella’s daughter Caroline painted Mount Barker’s internationally famed artist Bella Kelly on the Post Office Shop's southern wall.
Isobel Colbung, now known as Bella Kelly, was born on January 14, 1915 just north of Mount Barker, within The Great Southern region. Bella grew up on the Edgerton-Warburton farm west of Mount Barker. During the 1920s she worked at a Kendenup farm in a domestic and child minding role and then moved to Narrogin where she me married Henry Kelly and they had four sones - Simpson, Gregory, Flemming and Goldie.
Around the mid 1940s, Bella is given a set of paints by Mrs Edwards, a member of the Narrogin Native Welfare Committee and Dr Jacobs, a local medical practitioner and also a member of the Narrogin Native Welfare Committee encourages Bella to paint by giving her paper and paints.
Bella's four sone were taken away from her in 1946, and she went on to have Geoffrey, Cheryl Ann, Lorrice, Caroline.
Bella's Great Southern landscape's, often featuring the Stirling Range, grew increasing acclaim, including receiving an award for the best painting by a coloured person” at the 1960 Narrogin Arts Festival, exhibits in Perth in an Aboriginal art exhibition at the Dulux Colour Centre, NLMA Building, St George’s Tce, Perth and exhibits 26 acrylic paintings at Fremantle Arts Centre, from 12 April to 5 May with Alma Toomath and Michelle Broun.
Bella died in hospital in 1994.Fair and other festive activities, celebrating all things local.