The Crossroads Festival of Chamber Music 2017 is dedicated to the memory of the Musica Viva founder and zipper designer.

Richard Goldner was a great Australian. Mind you, he very nearly didn’t make it here! As a jew born in Roumania all borders closed, quotas were filled and as one door closed another slammed shut at the time of the German Anschluss in Vienna. It was only due to his brother’s inclusion of a little piece of costume jewellery with their application for immigration that this particular miracle happened. The application documents were opened by a woman who thought it was charming and brought it to the attention of the minister who saw it as a new industry for Australia. So when the two brothers and their wives arrived, after kissing the ground during a heat wave they set to making brooches out of casein.

Richard GoldnerRichard Goldner, 1953

A successful business, “Natty Novelties” brought some publicity to Richard’s inventive skills and when all had to be converted to the War effort the Army came to get Richard. Answering the door to a group of men in uniforms was a...