Graham Willett in his obituary for Val Eastwood, published in The Age, 6 January 2010, describes Eastwood as 'a well-known figure in the bohemian demi-monde of 1950s Melbourne, who experienced a second spell of fame after she gave an interview in 1995 in whch she discussed her life as a lesbian and an entrepreneur ...'
Eastwood operated cafes and restaurants in Melbourne from the 1950s to the 1970s. Willett records that her cafe in the 1950s 'was a haven, accommodating of its diverse clientele, from artists, dancers, actors and theatregoers, to political activists, bodgies and widgies and university students ... [i]t was one of the few places that welcomed gay women and 'camp' men ...'
In the 1960s Eastwood wrote short stories which were collected before her death in The Travelling Mind of Val Eastwood (2009).
Source: Graham Willett, 'An 'Outrageous' Figure of the 1950s Provided Refuge and a Lead for Gays', The Age (6 January, 2010): 16
