Vale G. H.

“Omar” Pearce of Edelweiss, Leura: academic, critic, linguist,

beekeeper, enigma ?
Around 1995 I visited a second hand bookshop in Katoomba in support of one of my interests:
collecting books on bees and beekeeping. Not all such forays are successful but on this occasion I
found three intriguing books, not so for their content, but for their creative adornment. I want to
share my find with you for they constitute unique works of art and an extraordinary biographical
statement about their creator.
Two of these acquisitions cover the basics of beekeeping: Teach Yourself Bee-Keeping (Schofiled, A.
Norman, London, 1947) and Common Sense Beekeeping (Hooper, M. M., London, nd). The third
was Curative Properties of Honey and Bee Venom (Yoirish, N., Moscow, 1959). Given each book’s
age and allowing for wear and tear, I may not have purchased them but for the remarkable
transformation each had been subjected to. The bookshop owner had priced these according to their
condition, for within the trade, they were seen as defaced items, and therefore worth much less than
otherwise could be asked. Priced between $4 and $5, each was additionally qualified “AS IS”. In
effect, the low prices reflected seller’s clinical comment upon each book’s altered appearance. To me
these books were and remain a treasure trove, a hint to the former owner’s colourful life story.

Some Biographical Details

Before I describe their outlandish yet endearing alterations, the books reveal some facts about G. H.
Pearce:
• He was an amateur bookbinder for two books had been converted from paperback to hardcover;
another illustrated externally by decoupage (cut-outs of bees, hives, and non bee related colourful
patterns pasted on); all have been embellished internally, primarily with pasted in newspaper
cuttings. One book’s former dust wrapper was clipped and glued to the cloth outer binding,
internally bearing the rubber stamp imprint “This Book Rebound by G. Pearce”. Another carries
the rubber stamp imprint “Illustrations etc. added by G. H. Pearce”. Possibly, other books at large
might bear Pearce’s attentions for he went to the trouble of having rubber stamps made to
advertise his book alteration efforts. Where might these other handcrafted works be lurking?
• Pearce’s place of residence: a rubber stamp imprint in two books declares “G. Pearce, Esq.
Edelweiss, Rawson Pde., Leura.” I’ve since located this house, number 67, on the low side of the
road. In Pearce’s block writing the notation “O’Briens Katoomba” appears, indicating the second
hand book store where at least one of the books were previously purchased.
• Pearce’s craft was mostly executed on the books between the years 1958 and 1960, however his
collection of notations and cuttings range from the earliest in July 1948 to the latest in February
1989, a spread of almost 41 years. Yoirish’s book contains the typed and pasted-in declaration “4
June 1960. Bought Pioneer Book Shop, Market Street, 23 May 1960, For my Birthday 4 June
1960.” It also carries his signature and the inked in purchase price of 5 shillings. Pearce bought
Hooper’s book some ten years later. Most likely bought second hand, it bears a previous owner’s
rubber stamp declaring “L. M. Hudson, Wilberforce”
• Pearce was still alive and clear thinking in February 1989. I assume the presence of these books
in a Katoomba second hand book store was the result of a clearance of his personal effects
following his death. At the time I asked the store owner if she was aware of any other books in
her shop once owned by Pearce, but no, these three appeared to be the only ones.
• I assume his nickname of “Omar” was self awarded. It’s typed into Schofield’s book on the rear
of the title page as “Omar Pearce”. Below it appears some typed verse:
 A Box of Bees,
a Book of Verse,
and Thou,
Beside me Buzzing in the Wilderness
The first two lines of the verse are repeated, hand written above a fascinating ink and watercolour
of a soaring bee box: hues of blue, orange, flesh, green and mauve; the lower half of a kangaroo
torso adorns the hive, thrusting leg below and trailing tail protrude; a turbaned and bejeweled Ali
Baba type figure rides his “flying carpet” bee hive, which sweeps above an exotic minaret topped
city as bees issue forth from the hive entrance. Omar Pearce’s illustrated page is dated 18 April
1965, the apparent work of a child yet painted 17 years after the book’s purchase.

A Box of Bees, a Book of Verse …

• Pearce made cuttings from magazines and newspapers for the embellishment of his books
spanning four decades. These reveal some clues to Pearce’s interests and personality, as follows:

Yoirish: Curative Properties of Honey and Bee Venom

Yoirish’s 1959 book contains the following glued in additions, two are honey or bee related, the
majority are of a Soviet flavour:
• A five page article from The Reader’s Digest, August 1966, titled Nature’s Most Astonishing
Animal: The Beehive. Typed in some white space is the following critique, some words
unfortunately unreadable “As with most R.D. material just a re-hash of what is already well
known, plus a mass of statistics used by some … pointless scientology jargon”. These flag the
comments of an adult, but yet …
 Reader’s Digest illustration, August 1966
• The book sports twelve rubber stamp imprints of a one inch wide purple elephant supported by
the typed comment “In a whimsical way the new cover design speaks for the whole volume. I
have also awarded the book the Order of the Purple Elephant. G. P.” Not, I suspect, a badge of
total praise.
• A typed and bound in full page “Introduction” reveals something of the man and critic “A most
unusual Bee Book, almost clinically perfect, admittedly there are some odd facts that could be
challenged, such as the suggested life of the Worker Bee, p.40. (In “My Bee Journal” my notes
make interesting reading on this subject). But on the whole it is a definite contribution in its own
particular field. On page 112 (top) the words … “now we are ale to interfere with nature’s work”
… might be better translated … “now we are able to bring about a fusion with nature’s work.”
Interfere even in these retrograde days of “Fixed Trust Socialism” is Bourgeois to say the least …
it is like the Confederate when taking the U out of U.S.A. The same applied to “after receiving a
shot of Royal Jelly”, p.180 bottom. The word shot used in this sense is one of those vulgar anti-
social crudities that have no place in true academic language … an injection of Royal jelly is the
technically correct wording for that particular phrase. Again some of the words in their present
translation are like those of Henry Kingley’s in “Geoffrey Hamlyn” … a trifle odd. Take the word
insusceptible (top p. 150) as an example, this should really be, Immune. The cover also comes in
for some slight criticism, for though plain and simple it is also somewhat naive (sic.) … the
drawing of the Bee looks as though Herr Rabbit has obtained wings and is flying from Herr Fox.
However this is something that can be remedied with a little thinning out, and Hey Presto ! Apis
Mellifica once more shall become his (her) real self again. G.H. Pearce. 21-7-1960.) Pearce
appears here as widely read, a linguist, academic, critic, beekeeper. Discovery of his “My Bee
Journal” would certainly rate a fascinating find.
• A cutting dated 18 November 1958, titled “Soviet Freighters in Singapore: to begin loading
rubber for the Soviet. Shipping authorities said that four more Russian freighters are due in the
next 10 days”.
• “Russian Science is not yet creative” a cutting dated 19 August 1959 from the Daily Telegraph,
discusses reservations about the ingenuity and creativeness of Soviet science, their copying of
Western efforts as in the construction of thermo-nuclear power plants, yet it states “let me not
minimise the power and possibilities of Soviet technology, which was so forcefully demonstrated
to the West by the Sputniks, by Russia’s MIG jet fighter in the days of Korea, and most recently
 by her jet airliner, the TU 104. One must not underestimate the tremendous scientific potential
which the Soviet has at its disposal through the mere number of scientists it turns out each year,
and through the limitless finances that are available to these men for their research and
experiments.” Pearce commented “Possible, BUT not probable, more likely it will be found
wishful thinking, Still it must be weighed up.”

Original cover, Curative Properties of Honey and Bee Venom

• “Australian Books in Russia”, cutting dated 9 November 1959, a letter to the editor from Frank
Hardy (well known Australian author with Communist sympathies) refuting the claim that works
by Australian authors are not readily available to Russian readers.
• From the Daily Telegraph of 9 March 1960 “New light on earth’s age: Leningrad scientists
believe earth is 4500 million years old.”
• June 1960, an advertisement for Smirnoff Vodka, likely selected for its Soviet association and the
link with Russian scientific efforts, including the world’s first man made satellite, Sputnik.

Smirnoff Vodka and Sputnik II cocktail recipe

 Illustrated cover to Curative Properties of Honey and Bee Venom
• “Delay to Red Chess Players” cutting dated 24 September 1960. “Two visiting Soviet chess
players, grandmaster Yuri Averback and Azerbaijan champion Vladimar Bagirov will not arrive
in Sydney before tomorrow …”
• A cutting dated 2 December 1961 “Russian School System ‘Bookish’: The Russian education
system did not prepare students for their working life, Dr W. J. D Minogue, Senior Lecturer in
Education at the University of Auckland, said yesterday in Sydney”
• “Honey Problem” cutting dated 18 July 1962 concerning the adulteration of honey by the
addition of a sugar and water syrup, resulting in uneven crystallisation. Pearce added his typed
comment “TRUE but mainly it results from the premature extraction of unsealed honey, with or
without being fed a sugared syrup mixture.”
• A typed in note on the back of the title page “Rebound with hardcover and specially drawn
illustration 4–Nov-1960. Original cover design on the inside.”
Schofield: Teach Yourself Bee-Keeping
Schofield’s book sports fewer cuttings yet displays a special charm:
• From the Daily Mirror of 14 August 1951 “Stockholm. Thousands of bees attacked and killed a
bull on a farm outside Linkoping when it charged through an apiary after a swarm had settled on
its body. As the bull knocked down 10 hives, bees from all the apiary’s 35 hives attacked at once.
The bull fell dead with bees lying ankle-deep around. Others were drowned in the honey which
streamed out of the overturned hives.”
• Dated 11 August 1954, “Dreary Summer Beats Britain’s Bees: The wettest, coldest, dreariest of
all English summers has effected Britain’s bees. Thousands of bee colonies have died of
starvation and few colonies have been able to stock enough food for the coming winter.
Beekeepers now face the expense of providing 25lb to 30lb of sugar to each hive to keep the bees
alive until they can find their own food next April. The National Honey Show, which normally
attracts more than 2,000 entries and is believed to be the biggest in the world, has been cancelled
for the first time in its 27 years. Grocers in Britain are selling “Empire Honey” at half the price of
English honey.”
• “Man Stung to Death” dated 10 June 1956 “New York. July 9, Arthur Hemm, 34, died at Trenton,
Ohio, yesterday after having been stung ‘countless times’ while transferring bees from one hive
to another. Hemm tried unsuccessfully to escape by lying in a shallow pool.”

unidentified view of a waterfront apiary

• Undated, “Fatal Stings: London. Bee expert Dr. Edward Tustin, 64, died in hospital yesterday
after a mass attack by a hive of bees on a farm near his home at Balham Park, Somerset.”
• A 2 January 1964 advertisement for “Queen Bee” or “L’Ape Regina”, apparently a performer to
be seen at the Savoy. (see illustration next page)
• In the Blue Mountains Gazette of 6 September 1978 “Bees prohibited: Council has resolved that
bees shall not be kept on premises in St. Andrews Road, Leura.”
• From the Blue Mountains Gazette of 25 June 1980 “Beauty Hint: Honey good for facial massage:
Spread honey on your face, then massage it and pull it until it is thick, almost candied, honey.
Leave it on for 15 minutes until it hardens and wash off with warm water. This can be a
beneficial once-a-week treatment …”
• An 8 February 1989 cutting from the Blue Mountains Gazette “Hive of Activity at bee sale: The
University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, was the scene of a unique event on January 21, as 50
prized Superior Italian Queen bees went under the hammer at the third annual Queen bee
auction. …” with Pearce’s typed comment “At this gathering it was felt that for the over 40, Bee
Stings tend to become increasingly allergic. So it’s be careful as time goes by.”
• And if you, the reader, has ventured this far, be rewarded with two watercoloured cartoons drawn
by Pearce in June 1962. Drawn back to back and glued in after the book’s Table of Contents, the
first shows hives of bees flying towards some Yellow Box trees, with bees issuing forth in
anticipation, and those already there create a melody as they collect the rich nectar. The second
cartoon is of a beekeeper asleep below a tree hive, about to get a surprise.

Final Thoughts
G. H. “Omar” Pearce knew of bees and honey and kept his own bee journal. He awarded one book
the “Order of the Purple Elephant”, he drew like a child yet expressed the thoughts of a mature,
widely read academic. Pearce was a gifted cartoonist and artist who captured aspects of beekeeping
both humourous and whimsical (his word). He exercised the skills of decoupage and bookbinding;
kept an eye on the press for cuttings capable of decorating and supplementing his books. His
critiques were those of a well educated adult yet carried the incisiveness of a childish innocence.

Struth they’ve located the Yellow Box

I think Omar would have been equally at home empathising with the activities of pre-schoolers as
matching wits with Professors of Literature and Political Science, or Ministers of State. Long time
residents of Leura and Katoomba may still remember this gifted personage. Given the reminiscences
surrounding Arthur Stace and his uncountable iterations of Eternity upon Sydney’s pavements, Omar
Pearce, though of lesser notoriety, may yet be recalled with local affection as a colourful upper Blue
Mountains eccentric.
Peter Barrett, ex Springwood, Blue Mountains, now Caloundra, Queensland,1 January 2000

Wonder Will He take One Lump or Two

Decoupage’ title page on rebound Teach Yourself Bee-Keeping
Annotated title page, complete with “AS IS” qualified price,
Pearce’s signature, address and purple elephant stamps.