‘‘Casino’’ is a popular choice

Geelong painter Phil Suter’s work SS Casino – That Fateful Day was the most popular at last year’s ANL Art Prize and Exhibition at the Mission to Seafarers.

Mr Suter won $2000 from Asset1 WTC for his work being adjudged the People’s Choice at Australia’s leading maritime art award which is held every year in Docklands.

The People’s Choice award is the show’s fourth category and was not known until it had finished and all the votes were counted.

Asset1 WTC strategic director Philip Hill presented Mr Suter with his award on December 1 at the World Trade Centre Gallery.

Mr Suter’s painting depicts the SS Casino steaming into Apollo Bay on July 10, 1932 before capsizing only 400 metres from shore with the lost of 10 lives.

The artist explained that in poor weather, the Casino’s anchor sheared a massive gouge in the side of the ship and it simply keeled over and sank.

“The Casino’s importance was pivotal for the local communities along the southern Victorian coast as it was probably a very welcome sight to those who lived there and depended on it and its loss and the loss of life would have been greatly mourned,” Mr Suter said.

“This vessel had not only caught my imagination but had also become a very engrossing story I wanted to tell to a wider audience through the traditional medium of painting.”

“I feel grateful for the opportunity of having commemorated an important aspect of our Australian maritime history.”

“Thanks to the sponsors - the World Trade Centre, thanks also to the Mission to Seafarers and again to the voting public who, with their support, give an artist like myself the encouragement to continue to create artwork that hopefully reflects a universal connection about people, places and events that everyone can relate to.”