Lorne artist Robert Julian COY (1948-1999)

Robert Julian Coy was 23 when he moved to Lorne in 1971. He had just sold a business he commenced in 1968 called Surf Dive ‘n Ski. He sold the business to move to Lorne, arguably then the surfing capital of the West Coast. Rob was a surfer, an artist, a musician and a graphic designer. He’d been surfing the west coast since 1964.

Rob lived in Hopetoun Terrace untill he passed away in 1999. His oil paintings recall the beauty and wonder of the Lorne coast, with the intrigue and sunlight of the inner forests that are the the Otways. At some time in 1974, a ‘minder’ for Prince Charles returned to Geelong on a mission to seek out art works of the Great Ocean Road. Originally a member of Prince Charles’s security team when the Prince was at Timbertop,  he discovered Robert Coy in Lorne.

The Chalet, by Rob Coy (Painted on Masonite measuring 152 cm x 122 cm)

Today, in Westminster Abbey, Rob Coy’s oil painting of ‘Eagle on the Mount’ adorns the walls of the Abbey, a stark reminder of the talent he possessed.

Rob was also a talented musician who played guitar, keyboards, drums and was also a blues singer. His last band was ‘Silver Hair’. His artwork lives on in the homes of family and friends and of the many  bought from local galleries. Others commissioned for particular scenes.

In a book written by Ian C. Hunt titled ‘Feel the Sea Wind’, Rob’s etchings of the early guesthouses in and around Lorne are featured. There are over twenty guest houses that existed in the early 1900’s that were ‘inked’ by Bob. They were done at a time when an infected hand hospitalised him. They capture the elegance that existed for wealthier holiday makers back then, who travelled to Lorne in the first cars and horse drawn carriages.

Fish Paintings

These paintings were done for the Fish Shop in the Fishing Co-op building at Point Grey.

Obituary

Artist, surfer
Born: January 22, 1948
Died: December 7, 1999

ROBERT COY’S paintings of Victoria’s surf coast are feature pieces in Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and galleries throughout Australia and New Zealand.

From an early age Mr Coy was drawn to the tranquil surrounds of Lorne, where he could express his passion for music, art and surfing. He epitomised the free spirit of Victoria’s surf coast before it was developed in the early 1980s, with his motto being Motion of the Ocean and the Breeze in the Trees. Through his art, he ensured the region’s easygoing beginnings were never lost as it developed.

Born in Melbourne, , Mr Coy excelled at art and music during his primary school years at St Columba’s in Elwood. His brother Charlie said an appreciation for the arts ran in their blood, with many of their Spanish and Italian ancestors being musicians, music teachers and opera singers. Mr Coy’s great-great-grandfather Signor Coy, born in Tarragona, Spain, in 1839, was a revered tenor.

Robert Coy went to secondary school at De La Salle in Malvern, where he honed his artistic talents. An adventurous teenager, Mr Coy was quick to accept new ideas before they became mainstream. After seeing a photo of an early skateboard in an American magazine, he decided to invent his own using roller skates and fence palings, much to the amazement of locals at Elwood beach.

Mr Coy progressed from playing the drum at school assembly as a child to become a talented and versatile musician who could sing and play the guitar, keyboards, piano and saxophone. He formed his first band, Spectres, with friends while in his mid-teens and the group played local and country school halls.

Even then he was drawn to the culture of the Great Ocean Road. On Friday afternoons, Robert Coy would come home from school to pack his bag and grab his surfboard, then hitchhike to Anglesea and Lorne to surf and draw. He surfed at Bells Beach when there was no road, walking through several kilometres of bush to catch a wave.

His artistic talents led to a job at a city advertising agency, and he quickly rose though the art and graphic departments. In the 1960s Mr Coy was a striking and original member of staff, standing out from the crowd in his sky blue, yellow, and burgundy suits.

Mr Coy left the agency in 1968 after being offered the first Victorian franchise of Surf Dive ‘N Ski. His innovative window displays, which included hanging clothes from chains, influenced local traders, with Myer designers often calling by to look at his retailing styles.

With his sister Margaret, Mr Coy imported material from India and designed Victoria’s first homegrown surfwear, producing original shirts, baggy boardshorts and t-shirts that sold well.

Having lived permanently in Lorne for almost three decades, Mr Coy left behind a legacy in his beloved town, with a mural and many paintings at the Lorne Hotel. His painting ‘A Hawk’s View of Winchelsea’ and the ‘Otways’ was selected by a representative of the Queen as part of the Australian landscape collection to be displayed in Buckingham Palace.

Mr Coy, who died after a heart attack, is survived by his 13-year-old son, Schina, also a keen surfer.

Sources:

• http://acoyview.blogspot.com/search?q=Robert+Coy (accessed 17 September 2024)
• Email from Philip Bull, 1 June 2025
• Lorne Historical Society Collections