Malcolm McCusker & Vincent Fantauzzo

- You are part of, you know, Perth's culture. So, I felt like, without being too literal, you know, it's always tricky, there's a fine line you could cross by putting symbolism and too many things in a painting. So, I made it very soft and, you know, more suggestive. Well, when I was first asked to do the portrait.

- Yeah.

- I was very excited, from what I'd read, and I was just so impressed about your history, and then I got to meet Nigel, and he kind of went into your background a bit, and I don't know, if you can explain to people a little bit about what you've, you know, where you've been, where you've come from.

- Well, I was born in Perth in 1938, just before the war started. And I wasn't, of course, initially sure what I wanted to do when I was at school. So my, I rang my father, who was working in the the city and I said, "I'm not sure what I want to do." And he said, "Well Malcolm, why don't you do law?" We had no lawyers in the family and I was the first in our family and extended family ever to even get to university.

- Wow.

- And so when I graduated, still wasn't sure what I wanted to do, I'd thought about a diplomatic career, which is why I studied Spanish and French while at university. And the Dean of the Law said, "Why don't you do a two years articles?" Which you had to do in order to become a practitioner. So I said, "I don't know any lawyers, Dean." He said, "I'll get you a position." He did, he got me a job as an article law clerk at the princely sum of £5 pounds a week, I was getting at the time.

- [Vincent] Wow.

- Which was not very high at all. So, I supplemented-

- Pay cut.

- I supplemented that by serving summons at that time.

- Really?

- And at the end of the two years I still wasn't sure, but I was starting to enjoy the law. I was thrown the deep end and doing a lot of things. And the principal partner said, "Malcolm, would you like to become a partner?" And I was 23 at the time.

- Ah, that's early.

- And I said... It was very early. And I said, "But Bob, I haven't got any money, "I can't buy a partnership." And he said, "No, no, we'll give you a partnership." So it was very generous of him and I became a partner in this firm at the age of 23. After I became Governor, which was thrust upon me by surprise, the Premier of the State asked to see me and I went along thinking he had some big legal case to discuss with me. And so outta the blue, he said, "Sit down," and just as well I did, and he said, "Malcolm, I'd like you to consider "becoming the next Governor of Western Australia." And I said, um "Yes.." I wasn't quite sure.

- You weren't sure about it.

- He said... No, I wasn't sure. In fact, my initial feeling was, you know, "How can I get out of doing this?" Because I had no idea about becoming Governor and I was enjoying, I had a very interesting legal practise as barrister, getting lots of work. He said, "Don't decide now, go and talk to your wife." So I did and I got back.

- [Vincent] Got the approval

- [Malcolm] Got the approval.

- The reason I paint portraits, the reason I really am passionate about and love it is because I get this opportunity to meet people like you, and I always, and I think I've said it before, but when I meet someone like yourself it's like doing a university degree. I just get to, and having dyslexia, a learning disability, I find it hard to absorb and learn, you know, like most people. And when I hear a story like this, it just, you know, you learn so much, like I feel being able to paint your portrait makes me, I dunno how to explain, it makes me a better person. Having your portrait painted can make someone a little bit self-conscious.

- [Malcolm] Yeah.

- You know, especially if you were to sit. We didn't do a formal sitting, where someone sits in front and I paint them from life, 'cause I feel like it makes people quite uncomfortable. But I had a very good insight from your good friend Nigel, who also has achieved incredible things, and he gave me a very good rundown.

- Yeah.

- And you know, I did my own research about a lot of things you could say, but you can't grasp everything on Wikipedia, you know, you need to hear someone that matters to the person, talk about them, and then you remember what they said and you hear yourself talk about it, and it all gels together.

- What happened is that the shark took the front of the ski right off, and missed the ski paddler's feet by about this much. And I can vouch for that because they ultimately managed to salvage the ski and it's hanging up in Cicerello's Restaurant in Fremantle, with the story about it. So, the three of us who were involved in the rescue got bravery awards for that. I said, "You mean stupidity award, don't you?"