Remembering Margo Snape
Margo Snape, a long time member of AANSW died peacefully in her sleep aged 90 on the morning of Thursday 9th June 2016 in Royal North Shore Hospital, following her admission several days before. I was immensely fortunate to know Margo for around 14 years and met her first at the 14th FAA International Conference at Hunter’s Hill in 2002. Margo had a deep interest in numerology and astrology, and over the years she often spoke of her fascination with parallels between these two related esoteric views on life. As a Virgo Sun, born 6th September 1925, Margo was a researcher at heart and would enthusiastically tell me of connections she’d observed between birth number 11 and astrology charts with major opposition aspects.
Margo lived latterly in a retirement village in Hunter’s Hill, which was more like an upmarket resort, her twin rooms opening onto a grassed quadrangle, a quite heavenly space. Before that, Margo owned a beautiful little semi-detached villa in Hunter’s Hill that some of you will remember well as she used to play host to an astrology group who met there regularly over the years. In this quiet sanctuary from the outside world, Margo maintained a peaceful inner garden, a beautiful kitchen, and a space for her other loves – art, calligraphy and design. In the field of paper marbling, Margo was a famous practitioner and teacher (Leo North Node). She possessed all the fine artistic skills of a Virgo Sun and her detailed pen work was renowned.
AANSW has been the grateful beneficiary of Margo’s artistry ever since she won a competition some years ago to give our monthly newsletter, Orbits, its name and she also applied her fine artistic skills to design the logo for Orbits which is used to this day. In a fitting tribute to her stellar artistic career, Margo’s collection of calligraphy and marbling has just been accepted by the National Library of Australia and will be displayed as part of the library’s permanent collection. How fulfilling for a Leo North Node to have their life’s creative work recognised in this way.
Lisa Stephens and I were privileged to attend Margo’s memorial service at the Australian Galleries in Paddington on Wednesday 22nd June 2016, and we heard many stories of Margo’s life: from her first job as a sign writer with David Jones, to her creative studies in London and Rome, to working in print media and typesetting in the days when Virgo-like precision was essential, to a successful graphic design business with a creative associate back in Sydney, and to her pursuit of artistic excellence in everything she did. It was inspiring to listen to stories of Margo’s life from being a young independent woman to becoming an older independent woman, always uncompromisingly true to her artistic vision. In every story without exception, Margo’s Virgo Sun shone through in how she lived her life and practised her art.
We will miss you, Margo. It was a delight to know you and spend time with you. You arrived on 06/09 and departed on 09/06. I’m sure you would have loved that synchronicity. Godspeed you on your next adventure.
Dr Neil Hair, AANSW President