Baillieu Myer was an instrumental player in the establishment of the Victorian (now Australian) Tapestry Workshop in 1976. He brought considerable business acumen, a passion for the arts, imaginative thinking and philanthropic knowledge to the Workshop.

Bails was deeply interested in all aspects of the Workshop, particularly the training of the weavers. He would regularly visit to see if they needed special tuition from him.

He was a great supporter of the tapestries woven for Australian Embassies and High Commissions, designed by indigenous artists. This program was established by the Tapestry Foundation of Victoria of which he was a founding trustee.

He and Sarah also supported the major commemorative tapestry designed by Charles Green and Lyndall Brown for the Sir John Monash Centre in Villers-Bretonneux in France as well as new initiatives with Asian artists.

As an ambassador for the ATW he introduced many influential friends and collectors to the world of tapestry, and through commissioning tapestries for his and Sarah’s own home and farm he ensured that their own lives were enhanced by the medium.

He has been a consistent, generous and far-sighted supporter of the Australian Tapestry Workshop, and in recognition of this strategic and creative support he was appointed patron of the ATW. He and Sarah have made a substantial philanthropic and personal contribution to the cultural fabric of Australia.

Bails will be greatly missed by the staff and board of the Australian Tapestry Workshop.