I’ve been an advocate for the importance of preserving our photographic heritage, today’s pictures will be our historical story for generations to come.
Vestey Meatworks
Darwin
My father passed onto me some time ago images his uncle (Bert) had left him on his death. Bert was a carpenter migrated to Australia in the early 1900’s, his first job was building a factory in Darwin, a frontier town at that time.
He would collect photographs, some with him and his mates, write a story or description on the back and send them to his sister ( my Grandmother) in England.
I’ve pondered for some time what to do with these images so this week I copied them, front and back to include the notations, and sent a digital sample to the Northern Territory Museum and Library.
They are keen to have these images as part of their permanent collection – “There are some extremely important photographs within it, many of which we did not know existed”
One was the only known image of Latin American migrant children that had eluded their collection until now.
Vestey Meatworks
Darwin
We should never take for granted the relevance of a photograph, they record a moment in time that may be more relevant in the future than at the time it was taken.
My family has decided to donate the 160 prints from Bert’s collection to the NT Museum