艺术家汤姆·卡蒙特撰文回顾了与已故澳大利亚诗人罗伯特·格雷长达半个世纪的深厚友谊。[1]两人于1975年在一家唱片店相识，从此开始了联系紧密的人生旅程。[1]格雷的诗集《内省·回顾》出版于1970年，[1]而他在童年时因心脏病曾被医生预言活不到20岁，但他最终幸存了下来。[1]
在五十年的友谊中，两人共同参与登山、艺术创作、阅读和旅行等多项活动。卡蒙特曾用省下的钱为格雷购买了一台蒂尔灰色Olivetti Lettera便携式打字机。[1]1982年，两人从邦迪纳步行至奥特福德，完成了全程28公里的远足。[1]格雷被诊断患帕金森病已有20年，[1]在韦夫利护理院伊洛瓦去世前，留下的最后的话是对卡蒙特说的："我很快就会见到你。"[1]
Artist Tom Carment has chronicled a five-decade friendship with the late Australian poet Robert Gray in a reflective essay, tracing their relationship from their chance meeting in a record shop to the poet's final days.[1] The two met in 1975, beginning what would become a partnership marked by shared passions for hiking, art, reading, and travel.[1]
Gray's literary career began with the publication of his first poetry collection, Introspect, Retrospect, in 1970.[1] Despite being told as a child that heart disease would prevent him from reaching adulthood, Gray survived and went on to build a significant body of work over the decades.[1] A notable moment in their friendship came in 1982, when Carment and Gray undertook a 28-kilometre walk from Bundeena to Otford.[1] Carment also gifted Gray a portable Olivetti Lettera typewriter in dove grey, purchased with money he had saved.[1]
In his later years, Gray struggled with Parkinson's disease, having lived with the condition for two decades before his death.[1] Gray spent his final period at Illowra, a facility within Waverley nursing home, where his last words to Carment were: "I'll see you, soon."[1] Through his essay, Carment honors the depth of their connection and the formative experiences they shared across half a century.