The Doyles 2026

Last Friday the 19th June, we officially opened The Doyles for another year and I was asked to say a few words before we gave out the awards for the year. After acknowledging the Kombumerri people, traditional custodians for the area, and paying respects to Jenny Doyle and Earle Hinschen, founders and patrons of the event, I offered the following remarks …

Cr Tozer addressing patrons and guests at the official opening event for the 2026 Doyles.

Thank you to the volunteers, lead admirably by event director Sam Sinner and committee chair Gillian Grove, as well as the judges (Ruth Della and Elizabeth Findlay and Kasey Sealy.) Judging is a tough job and rarely pleases more than a few people, so we deeply thank them for their diligent work this year.

Last night I was honoured to acknowledge VIPs at a special preview function we put on each year. Some of our guests were VIPs because they sponsored a category, some of them were VIPs because they’ve been buyers before, and some of our guests were VIPs because of their role in the community or, honestly, because they knew someone who was in one of those other categories… Importantly, we sold 40 pieces last night, which I’m very proud of, as locals chose to adorn the walls of their office and homes with Australian artists, while supporting a community event driven by amazing volunteers. This commercial outcome helps support the Doyles into the future.

Very soon it’s my job to announce some winners. As I said earlier, judging is a tough job and well beyond my experience and skill. As a politician I prefer making decisions that make more than only a few people happy…  

But what I want to encourage you to do tonight and until next Sunday when the Doyles concludes is; practice articulating what you like about the art you choose while you listen to others do the same. I can’t recall ever agreeing entirely with the judges over the years that I’ve supported this event but what I like is that the Doyles give us a chance to share our differing views about a topic without resorting to escalated conflict. I mean, it’s only art right… and when I say that I mean…

IT IS ART… it’s beautiful and inspiring and nostalgic and maybe even triggering and the emotion I feel about a piece might be entirely different than what you feel. And we can talk about that honestly and genuinely, and I think we should practice that in this room so we can do it better as a society outside this room.

So here’s an example so you know what i mean;

I love Lars Ester’s Purple Glow #4 at New Farm because it reminds me of the jacarandas in Spring here in Mudgeeraba Village and how important that is to many in our community.

I love Dellene Strong’s Making a Splash because I think what she does with watercolours is amazing, and the way that water seems a central part of her more recent work reminds me how important water is in our community, whether in the hinterland for water supply and environment or at the beach for surf and fun…

…and I love Craig Addley’s South Arm Bridge, Brunswick Heads because my sons jumped off that bridge and they were so scared and then one of them lost his apple watch in the water and I’m a bit scared of my ex-wife (his mum) but then a stranger found the watch and dropped it to us at the caravan park the next day and we were all so relieved … and I loved being a dad that weekend.

You’ll no doubt have stories too as you find pieces  of art you love.

These days there seems so much to divide us, and politicians (like me I guess) and the media sometimes seem to polarise us folk just to drive votes or clicks. My kids teach me it’s called “rage baiting”… engaging in such a way that you influence another person to get angry and invest in whatever topic you care about, so you can exclude them, or include them, almost tribally. “you’re the enemy, if you don’t think the way I think..” Gosh, this phenomena exhausts me and exhausts many in our neighbourhoods.

Art should be a safe and calm place for dangerous conversations. I hope you’ll have some of those dangerous conversations this week, safely and calmly, and practice the art of debate, and storytelling with people you love, and maybe even with strangers… I mean we could all do with getting a bit better at sharing genuinely and calmly in this current global political climate.

The stature of the Doyles, driven by the reputation of this event and its art and the prizemoney it offers is what continues to grow the standard each year. But it’s also grown by you, its people, its fans. You enjoy the experience, tell your friends, and more people join us. And we are now really stretching our capacity to deliver. With over 1000 entries and a few hundred chosen as finalists, displayed over 10 days, the burden of cost, and the reliance we put on our amazing volunteers is reaching a threshold.

This year, we ‘re asking our patrons, people just like you, to consider growing their support. Whether it’s through buying a few more pieces, which would be great, or volunteering a few more hours, which is wonderful; most importantly this event needs some support to fund a part-time leadership role. It’s just not possible for the event to grow and execute its objectives diligently simply relying on donated hours from experienced professionals. Over the coming week, I hope you might reach out to me, or Sam, or Gillian, or one of the team to consider a contribution that can see the Doyles flourish for years to come, helping us fund a part-time role.

We’re so proud of the event this year and hope that you love it too… and that you’ll invite your friends to visit and advocate for our aspiration to solidify the next decade for this exceptional arts event in the city. Now let’s get to the awards!  

You can click here to find out who won in 2026