Community
1 February, 2022
Son of a Local Pioneer turns 90
LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER, George Lisha, was the focus of attention at the Fullers Sports Club in Edmonton on Sunday when friends and family gathered to celebrate his 90th Birthday.
Born and bred at Harvey’s Creek, near Babinda, George was the fourth of seven children born to Albert George and Violet Lisha. Albert was the son of Cairns pioneer and draper, George Lisha and his wife, Melia.
After attending St Augustine’s College, he worked for the Adelaide Steamship Company and Cairns Regional Electricity Board (CREB) before fulfilling his ambition to be a professional photographer.
George Lisha’s studio specialized in weddings, portraits, and commercial photography for 30 years. Clients included local politicians, the former Member for Leichardt, David Thomson, and former councilor and State Member for Cairns, Ray Jones.
He was also the local press photographer and has captured international celebrity visitors such as Lee Marvin. He was also a member of the Cairns Camera Club for several decades.
He married the love of his life, Edna in 1955 and the couple had two sons, Chris and John. After Edna passed away in 1992, George met Merlene, and the couple married in 1996.
Although George has been professionally retired for many years he is still enthusiastic about photography and can still be seen with camera in hand at local events such as the The Great Pyramid Race with the Mad About Photography Group.
George is also a keen gardener and loves tending his fruit trees and vegetable garden. He is not so keen on radical environmentalists or Townsville. His sons say the Cairns / Townsville (Brownsville) rivalry is something their father can be particularly vocal about.
Chris and John say their father is “quite a character” and shows no signs of tempering his life-long love of his birthplace.
They attribute his longevity to the “care, kindness and tolerance” shown by his two wives.
