An Inspired ToC Guest

October 2019

We know all our Guests are special and love staying at Treasury on Collins. One of these guests is Timothy John, an Internationally acclaimed artist based in Adelaide, who has recently designed a beautiful Montegrappa pen with part proceeds of sales going to the Michael J Fox Foundation. Like Michael J Fox, Timothy also has Parkinson’s disease. Money raised from this #tulipforteamfox collaborative project will go to aid research into this debilitating disease.

Find out more about Timothy’s reason and inspiration behind the design of the pen and how you can help the foundation by purchasing a pen yourself.

What was your inspiration behind the design of the pen. 

After I received my Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis, I discussed with dear friend and Montegrappa C.E.O. Giuseppe Aquila the possibility of creating a Montegrappa pen for global release, with the aim to raise awareness and money for a Parkinson’s Disease Research Charity / Foundation.

Giuseppe was very enthusiastic about the idea and very supportive of my involvement as designer of the pen, encouraging me, even though he knew I had doubts that my capabilities were somewhat limited due to the disease and the associated tremors and bouts of depression.

While we were confident of producing a beautiful pen, we were unsure of where the money raised from sales would be directed.

After much research and due diligence, the Michael.J.Fox Foundation (MJFF) & TEAMFOX were selected as our preferred partners.

MJFF is described by Bloomberg as “the fulcrum on which Parkinson’s research pivots”.

And so the project was born and began to take shape,

The Tulip is the international symbol for Parkinson’s Disease.

Available in 3 variations-fountain pen, rollerball and ballpoint,  it was designed to stand out and to exclaim loud and proud support for medical research into Parkinson’s Disease.

Photo credit: Timothy John

You’ve stayed at Treasury on Collins 6 times now, what is it about us that makes you return?

The reasons we love TOC so much is the friendly helpful staff. Every time we come, we feel a connection to everyone there, and we are always treated so warmly.

The rooms and facilities on the mezzanine are great, and location is perfect for us, because we spend a lot of time in the CBD, and at the NGV Arts Precinct.

How do you spend your day(s) in Melbourne. 

Our days in Melbourne are true getaways!…visiting gallery exhibitions and wandering the laneways, eating and drinking and of course our pilgrimage to Pellegrini’s for the worlds best coffee, this side of the Via del Corso in Rome!…and bookshops that test our resolve not have too much excess baggage for the flight home!

For more information on the Montegrappa pen and how to purchase one, please visit www.timothyjohnfinearts.com  or www.montegrappa.com