by Margaret Cassidy
Long term member Judy Robinson has stepped up in recent months as OAS Secretary and has now been appointed as Treasurer with the resignation of Ian Wamijo.
After graduating from University of Technology, Sydney, Judy worked for architecture and design companies in Sydney during the economically buoyant 1980s. Following the birth of her children in 1988 and 1990 during their childhood, Judy worked as a sole practitioner, running Overboard Design from her home studio in Seaforth, completing hundreds of interior project management and design commissions for office, retail and residential projects.
From 2001 to 2017 she tutored Architecture students in building construction and design at the University of Newcastle while also completing her Master of Philosophy in Architecture in 2017. She opened a retro store in Sydney’s Summer Hill in 2003, relocating to the Hunter Valley in 2010, where she was involved with the design and management of architectural projects in Sydney and Newcastle, whilst continuing her part-time tutorial role online for the University of Newcastle. In 2013 she moved her shop, Rickrack Retro, to Newcastle and it is now operating within Coliseum Antiques emporium in Mayfield.
The confluence of Judy’s interests in artefacts and architecture led to her Master’s thesis topic, Exploring the orientation of tiki houseposts in protohistoric Pacific Oceania. The thesis conceptualises the architectural presence of tiki and the links between tiki carvings and architecture, in creating the genius loci of a place. During her studies Judy joined the OAS and was a regular attendee of lectures in Sydney. Judy’s first article in a series on tiki was published in the Autumn 2025 edition of this Journal.
Judy currently resides on acreage in the Hunter Valley.