Toni was a very good friend of Opus President David van Berckel. David, Toni and I all once had houseboats on the same dock. We were an intimate community of about six floating homeowners, all of us artists or workers in the visual arts. It is a horrible shock to learn of his passing. He died practicing landings and take offs in his Lake Buccaneer float plane when it crashed into the Fraser River. He was 75 years old.

For a great, great many people, he is best known for his elegant watercolours-done in a minimalist, almost Oriental style. For other people, he was known for driving his Rolls Royce, for selling about 1,200 works to a single buyer in 1980, for his plane crash on a glacier not so many years ago, or for his very public battle with Revenue Canada in 1983 which saw him threatening to burn his paintings on Wreck Beach in Vancouver to protest Canadian tax law. His was a very colourful life.

Toni's artistic roots were in the tradition of English watercolour painting. He was born on the Isle of Man in 1928. But his move to Canada in 1948, and particularly his later move to the Okanagan in British Columbia's interior, saw his painting style evolve to the one for which he is now so well known.

The "Big Buy" of 1980 changed Toni's life. The "Big Buy" was the purchase of about 1,200 of Toni's works by one buyer who paid close to $1 million for the collection. That transaction brought him an economic security that is rare for living visual artists-especially watercolourists-and it allowed him to buy his home and his airplane. The plane allowed him to visit remote sites to paint, and he particularly loved the light in the high Arctic. It was high in the mountains that Toni had his first brush with death when his plane crashed on a glacier and he had to spend a frightening night awaiting his rescue. His plane also brought him to the attention of Revenue Canada.

Toni became very involved with Revenue Canada over their interpretation of taxation legislation as it affected artists. The details of his dispute are complex, suffice to say that he felt the way Revenue Canada was interpreting the legislation when it came to all creative artists was grossly unfair. So he decided to fight Revenue Canada, and in doing so, he found a partner in Arthur Drache, a well-known advocate of artists' rights. Mr. Drache often assists the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) in their advocacy efforts concerning Canadian tax practices as they concern artists-Toni and Mr. Drache were a perfect match. Mr. Drache framed the legal/economic argument and he worked with the CCA to bring about a change to the law. Toni, forever the entrepreneur, brought their case into the public eye, and when things did not proceed quickly enough for Toni, he took action.

Neither Revenue Canada nor Cabinet was in a hurry to address the needs of our nations artists. The CCA/Drache campaign was destined to last for years but for Toni's efforts. Toni, wanting immediate action, had a spectacular plan. He called the press and invited them to Wreck Beach where, he said, he was going to burn his paintings rather than pay the taxes the government wanted. And boy, did that work. The national press coverage his threat gained got the law changed very, very soon thereafter. Toni, I know, was very proud of this aspect of his legacy. Every living, practicing visual artist of this and all future generations have Toni to thank for protesting that law's interpretation by Revenue Canada. He was David to a federal Goliath. And for that we can all be thankful.

Toni was also involved with the Canada India Village Aid Association (CIVA). CIVA's guiding principle is to foster self-help and self-reliance in the poor rural communities of India. CIVA strives to do this by underwriting local initiatives that are supported, nurtured, developed and implemented by strong local organizations. Besides the creative artist and the passionate advocate, there was a very compassionate part to Toni. It was this compassion, as well as his excellence as an artist, that earned him membership in the prestigious Order of Canada.

And finally, it is his love of people that, for me, is a great aspect of his legacy. I think that part of what made Toni so successful an artist, was his love of interacting with people. He was a raconteur, and he loved doing demonstrations, teaching and public speaking. He was as accessible as his art providing his buyers with easy access to his story. Many buyers of art invest in the artist more than they buy a single piece, and for those purchasing an Onley, his story was a rich one. Many of his buyers loved the man as much as his work.

Toni is survived by his daughters Jennifer and Lynn from his first marriage to Mary, who predeceased him, and his son James, from his second marriage to Gloria and Yukiko, Toni's third wife. They are foremost amongst the many who miss him now. There is some compensation for his loss in knowing he died doing what he loved-flying. I have no doubt that his palette and brushes were by his side.

Goodbye Toni. David, Aubin, Byron, Justin and I will never forget you.