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Read more about the article A gallery of Newcastle fire photographs
Fighting bushfires, October 1, 1936.

A gallery of Newcastle fire photographs

As a fireman, Ken Magor had a strong interest in fires. As an acquaintance of various Newcastle press photographers, he also had access to fire photographs for his extensive collection. Here is a gallery of some images, scanned from negatives in our Ken Magor collection. On Wednesday April 17, 1935, gas company workers were trying to fix a leak outside the Hunter Street shop of tobacconist George A. Campbell, when the gas ignited. Two people were slightly injured. Two men seated in barber chairs ran off in the panic; only one of them returning later to…

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Read more about the article The Goldsmith’s shoe store fire in Newcastle
Fighting the fire. Image by Ron Morrison.

The Goldsmith’s shoe store fire in Newcastle

Goldsmith's shoe store had been a landmark business in Newcastle, NSW, for decades before a fatal fire in September 1961 dreadfully seared the name into local consciousness. The fire cost three lives - a woman and two of her children. At the time of the fire Ron Morrison was operating his photo agency in Newcastle, and his series of images captures the drama of the firefighting effort. The store Goldsmith's traced its beginnings in Newcastle to December 13, 1897, when Bristol-born Frank Goldsmith first set up a shoe store in Hunter Street. The business thrived, and…

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Fire brigade tales from old Newcastle

I once shared this photo on social media, along with the information supplied by its previous owner, former fireman and collector the late Ken Magor. That information said the photo depicted the christening of the first steam fire engine owned by Honeysuckle Volunteer Fire Brigade, in Newcastle, NSW. A good many people insisted that there was no way this photo could be in Newcastle because the helmets the men were wearing were American, of a type not used in Australia. Chastened, I retreated behind my usual lame excuse; that I was depending on information supplied. Mind…

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