New place for Eastwood eccentric Royce Wells
Collector Royce Wells is ready to move into his new digs, after surviving evictions orders over his “unsafe” 104-year-old Fullarton Rd property.
East, Inner Suburbs & Hills
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The House of Psychedelia has a brand new add-on.
Lifelong resident and Eastwood eccentric Royce Wells is expected to move into his new digs sometime next month — around the back of his dilapidated, 104-year-old family home on Fullarton Rd.
It is known locally as the House of Psychedelia and became the centre of controversy after Mr Wells was ordered out when it was deemed “unsafe or unsuitable for human habitation”.
Mr Wells, though, escaped eviction through the generosity of long-lost friend Colin Beaton.
He had been knocked back on a bank loan, so Mr Beaton helped provide the $100,000 needed to build a new cottage at the rear of the property.
Now, with the finishing touches being applied, Mr Wells is expected to move in next month.
But on a crisp Friday morning, and enjoying a cold cider in his new living room, he points out one small problem.
“It’s pretty good, but I don’t like the white walls,” Mr Wells tells The Messenger.
“The white is too glary, too bright.”
Calling it his “amenities block”, Mr Wells admits he has been “warned not to clutter it up”.
And he has promised to obey that directive.
“I can’t possibly move all the archives in,” he says of his collections of records, books, posters and newspapers he believes may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“It’s really for recreation, rest, cooking, amenities.”
The one-bedroom cabin includes a fridge, bathroom and the opportunity for a fresh start.
Celebrations, though, are compromised by a health concern,
A specialist examination has detected a small growth in his voice box.
“I’ve got to have further tests next week to make sure it’s not cancer,” he says.
Mr Beaton, who once worked with Mr Wells but had lost contact for 34 years until 2016, was happy to help, referring to the “joy of being able to care”.
Mr Wells is not expected to start properly moving in until Mr Beaton returns from holidays on June 28.
“He said: ‘I won’t move until you get back’,” Mr Beaton says.
“I’m hoping he’ll gradually spend a bit more time in there … we’d need to organise a few people to help. Moving will take a bit of time.”
Builders will also re-roof the rear of the existing house, which has been reclassified by Burnside Council as a storage area.
“It will stay and his collection stays unimpeded,” he says.
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