© 2018 Greg & Sylvia RAY

Vintage Photographs and Photography

Read more about the article Some of the oldest photos of Newcastle, NSW

Some of the oldest photos of Newcastle, NSW

Tracing advances in the technology of recorded images is fascinating, particularly in relation to specific places. Not only does the place change over time, but the nature of the images changes too. In the period since European settlement of Newcastle, NSW - originally a prison-labour camp for political and intransigent convicts - one can trace the evolution of images from freehand sketches, to engravings and then to photography. Early photographs are predictably rare. Newcastle was not a prosperous or appealing place at the time that photography was being born. Nevertheless, some quite old photographs (or images…

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Read more about the article Margel Hinder’s Newcastle Civic Park fountain
Civic Park Fountain, Newcastle. Photo by Barry Shoesmith.

Margel Hinder’s Newcastle Civic Park fountain

In these iconoclastic days, when statues are being hauled down and thrown into rivers, it's hardly surprising that some people have raised the question of whether Newcastle's Civic Park Fountain ought any longer to be named the "James Cook Memorial Fountain". In the days before the fountain . . . As a matter of fact, I'd be surprised if a very large proportion of Newcastle people even knew the famous fountain was named for the British explorer, whose reputation is now being revised in some quarters, mostly because of his negative attitude towards Australia's indigenous inhabitants…

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Read more about the article Two odd tales of shifting gates

Two odd tales of shifting gates

On March 21, 1907, thousands of citizens of Newcastle, NSW, attended the Upper Reserve (nowadays more commonly known as King Edward Park) to witness the grand opening of a special gift to the city. The donor was businessman Joseph Wood, best remembered for his involvement in the city's Castlemaine Brewery but active in many other spheres. Mr Wood had donated a pair of splendid ornamental gates to mark his 50th year in Newcastle, and these were officially opened in the evening. Festoons of electric lights were strung from the gates at the top of Watt Street…

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