Architect, Waldie Forbes was the son of Walter Scott Forbes of Banff Scotland and was born in 1866 in Cork, Ireland where his father was serving in the Imperial Army. The family went to India and New Zealand where he pursued his studies at various institutions. At fifteen Forbes entered the office of Walter Law an architect in Melbourne remaining there for eight and a half years. He then worked in Sydney for Edward Raht before coming to Western Australia where he worked for Wilkinson & Smith, then with E. J. Dean-Smith.
Forbes served on the committee of the West Australian Society of Arts from 1901-03. In 1903 he married Clara daughter of David Strickland of Perth. By 1905 he was listed in partnership as Hobbs, Smith & Forbes. His residence in 1904 was 882 Wellington St, Perth and in 1914 Thornton, Keane St, Peppermint Grove. Forbes was a member of the Western Institute of Artists and exhibited with them in the Art Gallery in 1921. He was a freemason and a sportsman playing golf and sailing. Forbes died in April 1939. His most important buildings were Dalgety Buildings, Fremantle, The Bon March_ Stores and Boans Emporium.
- Writers:
- Dr Dorothy Erickson
- Date written:
- 2010
- Last updated:
- 2011
