ANYONE who’s driven past Julia Gregory’s house would have noticed her unusual exterior design style.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The ‘Home of Gnomeville’ on Peel Street boasts more than 400 ceramic creatures.
And, it all started with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
“People think I’m crazy, but I don’t care what they say, it’s my interest and it keeps me happy to look after it,” Mrs Gregory said.
The obsession started in 1972, when Mrs Gregory’s late husband bought her first gnome on the road as a truck driver.
Now, The Home of Gnomeville is decked out with DIY mood lighting and cacti – but recently it’s taken on new purpose.
Mrs Gregory’s grandson passed away with pancreatic cancer just before his 50th birthday, while he was in hospital she was busy painting up the gnomes and selling them to raise funds for his treatment.
“You wouldn’t believe the people who came to buy them,” she said.
“It was cruel to watch him die, I sat with him and it broke my heart – but if I can help somebody else with cancer that’s great.”
So far she’s raised $1200 for the Nioka palliative care ward at Tamworth Hospital and she wants the doctor who treated her grandson to be there when she presents the money.
One thing’s for sure, Mrs Gregory won’t let the gnomes go to the tip when she’s gone.
“I never thought it would come to this, we’ve been on TV and I’ve also been in Country Living,” she said.
“It’s just an interest and it keeps me young I think, I love my garden.
Read also:
“You should see the funny characters that come along here, I have a chat to them, I don’t mind talking to people.”
Tourists have mistaken her home for the Visitor Information Centre and plenty of visitors come for a squiz during Tamworth Country Music Festival.