© 2018 Greg & Sylvia RAY

Vintage Photographs and Photography

Read more about the article When Mum made guns for Aussie soldiers
Jean Dunbar (right) and another worker in Lysaght's Owen Gun shop in Newcastle

When Mum made guns for Aussie soldiers

"Oh my God, that's my Mum!" I was showing the general manager of The Newcastle Herald, Julie Ainsworth, a proof copy of our 2011 book, Recovered Memories, which contained many rare photographs taken around the Newcastle area during World War 2. Julie was flicking through the pages, making polite noises and nodding approval, when suddenly she spotted her mother in a picture. "That's my mother, Jean Dunbar, and she's working in the Owen Gun shop at Lysaght's in Newcastle." Julie declared. It was a wonderful insight into a photo about which I knew little - beyond…

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Read more about the article The David Cohen warehouse blaze of 1908
David Cohen warehouse fire, Newcastle 1908

The David Cohen warehouse blaze of 1908

The Cohen building - the biggest in Newcastle - before the fire. Early on January 20, 1908, Newcastle’s biggest building, the David Cohen warehouse, caught fire. Firemen were called from surrounding districts to come and help quell the blaze, but little could be done. Parts of the building collapsed and damaged their neighbours, including the Shortland Hotel and the library of the Newcastle School of Arts. The fire’s aftermath was extensively photographed and became a popular postcard subject. A newspaper report of the fire can be read here. Morning after the David Cohen warehouse fire in…

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Read more about the article By steamer overnight to Sydney

By steamer overnight to Sydney

Before the railway crossed the Hawkesbury River, the sea route was an obvious choice for intercity travellers, and the steamer wharf in Newcastle Harbour had a busy passenger terminal. A 1930s brochure invites passengers to “take the cheaper and more comfortable route to Newcastle or Sydney, ensuring a complete night’s rest in passenger accommodation comparing favourably with that of steamers employed in deep sea trades”.The brochure promised “up-to-date bath and lavatory accommodation” and “refreshments and moderate rates”. Steamers left both cities at 11.30 each night, except Sundays. Passengers could buy single or return tickets as well…

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