A closer examination of selected photographs by varied photographers
George Stawicki
I discovered George Stawicki while visiting Osborne House a few years ago. There I saw this amazing aerial photograph of Geelong. Only one...
I excitedly spent the next hour examining it and taking a multitude of sectional photographs with my small Panasonic Lumix camera.
Needless to say I returned at a later date with my DSLR.
This album presents my sectional close-ups of George's amazing 1989 aerial photograph of Fyansford and Geelong.
Click image to access slideshow
Janet Hovey
Janet was a Fyansford resident, who with husband of John a longtime cementies worker, raised six children. Janet had a passion for Fyansford that was reflected in her photography; back in the days of non-digital cameras when films had to be sent away for processing.
I include Janet's gallery (as shared by Dianne Higgins) within this collection of esteemed photographers not necessarily because of her skills but, rather, because of her enthusiasm, persistence and the fact that she captured an event that few bothered with. I guess that's what real amateur photography is all about ~ capturing moments in time.
Click image to open to full size
Hans-W. Kawitzki
I first heard the name Hans Kawitzki while attending Light Seekers, a Geelong Camera
Club SIG (special interest group) to which I belonged. A fellow club member, friend and neighbour, Michelle Stokie, often referred to this gentleman with mixture of awe and respect. And, this piqued my interest. This series of blogs features some of the work of this photographic painter of light-n-colour; an inspiring gallery which must absolutely be of interest to photographic enthusiasts and followers of Fyansford.com.
Hans-W. Kawitzki (Blogs 1-5)
Hans' Encore Series
John Henry Harvey
Architect & Photographer (1855 - 1938)
John Henry Harvey, an architect by trade, was one of the greatest Australian photographers of the 19th Century; a pioneering and prodigious amateur who, over his lifetime, produced thousands of photographic images. The State Library of Victoria alone holds more than 2,800 of his photographs: very few of which have ever been published. Harvey’s lifelong interest in photography began in 1878 with him travelled widely throughout Victoria, designing and photographing in tandem. Consequently many of his photographs are of buildings and bridges.
Source: Robert Haldane
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WET-PLATE PHOTOGRAPHY
John Henry Harvey
Amateur photographer Ca 1875
At the time Harvey began his hobby the use of dry plates was commonplace. Notwithstanding this Harvey continued to use wet plates ~ to facilitate rapid development in the field. "If he was not satisfied with an image he wiped the plate and took another photograph". Harvey was not an advocate of ‘the new Eastman rolled film designed in 1885 writing, "Beware of the rollable film, for though a great convenience when all goes well, it is not to be depended as plates are".
Source: Robert Haldane
John Henry Harvey
Aussie amateur photographer
Blog 1
Harvey completed an extensive series of photographs focussing on the Fyansford Paper Mills. It is not possible to be precise as to the dates of the photographs for they were all merely listed as being taken Ca 1875 -1938.
Source: TROVE
Paper Mills, Fyansford
Click first image to see full size
John Henry Harvey
Aussie amateur photographer
Blog 2
Paper Mills Machinery, Fyansford
Click first image to activate the gallery
I enjoy
examining photographs:
looking to see what is - in the background.
I did this recently with an old picture
like ~ really old...
an 1873 photograph by Thomas J. Washbourne
Thomas J. Washbourne
worked as a photographer in Geelong and Melbourne in the 1860s and '70s. He was also an itinerant photographer and was known in particular for his stereoscope images and views of Victoria with subjects including waterfalls, bridges, towns, pastoral scenes and images of working life. In the late 1860s, Washbourne also commenced a series of studio portraits of local Aboriginal people.
Source: National Portrait Gallery
The photo in question...
Junction of the Barwon and Moorabool River, Fyansford, taken by Washbourne in 1873.
blog 1
Junction of the Barwon and Moorabool Rivers
Getting a close-up or different perspective
You might not have seen him at first glance
Junction of the Barwon and Moorabool Rivers
blog 2
blog 3
Wonder how often they go into town
Enjoying the sunshine and the view
Wonder how often they go into town
Community Commentary
Andrew Colquhoun
Wow!
Exactly my thought when I opened Andrew's initial batch of images.
And, then there were more.
I'll share his offerings over the next couple of blogs...
Take me there...
Tony Peach
We can all capture moments in time worth sharing.
Not all are truly noteworthy or memorable ~ but each reflects the person doing the capturing; reminding us that we all perceive our world differently.
Just as I was captivated by the little creature in my water-feature on Boxing Day, Tony saw something in our environment that took his imagination back in time.
Thanks for sharing, Tony.
First posted on Fyansford Community Noticeboard (December 8, 2019)
See also Tony's clip
First posted on Fyansford Community Noticeboard (December 8, 2019)
Click image to access images
Robert Pockley Studio
I found very little on the web concerning Robert Pockley, apart from the fact that he operated a photographic studio in Geelong from 1942 to 1973; initially located at 132a Moorabool Street and later on Malop Street. I'd love to hear from anyone who can contribute to this page.
A perusal of the 84 images in the National Library of Australia TROVE Gallery will indicate the extent of Robert Pockley's wide-ranging photographic endeavours.
The above picture of the Fyansford Cement Works taken during the 1980s is one of the few coloured images in my Pockley collection. The image below Ca 1940 is more typical of his work.
For more Robert Pockley images see Page 1
While the majority of Weston's images are black & white photos of engines and related railway superstructure, I especially appreciate what is often of secondary importance (see farmhouse in picture below).
Weston Langford Railway Photography is the source to go to.
The website, built and maintained by Weston's son-in-law, Andrew Godfrey, contains 38,325 photos by Weston Langford. It has a marvelous search facility. A search for “Fyansford” revealed 73 photos spanning the years 1958 – 2013.
But, for a more personal insight into Weston, I refer you to a 2014 article by Adrian Gunzburg,
Weston Langford ~ 1941 – 2014
“Weston Langford, born in 1941, has always had an abiding interest in railways, even from times before he can remember... No one in his immediate family had anything to do with railways... For Weston railways were both a vocation and an outside interest as well... He was a foundation member of the Association of Railway Enthusiasts..." Weston Langford Railway Photography
For more J. Lockwood images see Page 1.
J. Lockwood Studios
J. Lockwood operated from photographic studios located in Moorabool street, Geelong, from 1908 to 1931 specialising in local landmarks, items and occasions of community interest, group and individual portraits (including studio portraits of aboriginal groups in 'traditional' attire). I cannot ascertain any information of a personal nature of
J. Lockwood and would appreciate hearing from anyone with information to share.
The National Library of Australia TROVE Gallery contains an impressive collection of 819 Lockwood images.
Fred Kruger ~ 1831 - 1888
"... In View on the Moorabool River, Batesford (fig. 1), the lower corner, separated from the trees and rocky hillside by the river, is used to display a lad in knickerbockers, a wicker three-wheeled pram, a woman, and at the lower edge of the picture a man seated in a flying fox contraption, which he is holding firmly to prevent it taking off across the river and thus blurring its outline by movement during the exposure...."
If you'd like to see more of Kruger's work, the best resource is the National Library of Australia TROVE Gallery which contains 503 images.
Or even, see Page 1
I refer viewers to the excellent essay on Fred Kruger by Jennie Boddington for NGV (1980)
"... Apart from these few records, we have only the evidence of the photographs, which provide the most comprehensive information in our collection to date as to how Victoria looked around the 1880s; alas, they do not give so clear a picture of the life of Kruger, the man, as of the colonial society in which he lived..."
For one of the online Rail resources you can't do better than visit
the Brown Family Web Page. Here you will find links to:
Les Brown
I love Les Brown's words; so honest and to the point.
"...So here is my collection and it's my gift to the future. They're not all pretty pictures because I have published the complete roll of film including the blurred, the obscured and the accidental - in fact anything that might be of some interest. It's a true "warts and all" view with a few good shots in there with the bad and the just plain ugly. I hope you start your own collection. Photograph everything. Soon enough, it too will be gone. History needs to be recorded, because if we don’t know the direction we came from, we have no way of knowing where we are heading"
More great words from Les Brown
I feel I'm riding the freight trucks with him...
1999 Published on 15 Feb 2018
Telly news bulletins announce the closure of the Geelong Cement works
1999 and the news is - the Geelong Cement works will be closed in 2000. Mr.Bill Shorten, the then AWU rep., attempts to intercede in parent company Adelaide Brighton's decision. The then Victorian premier Mr.Jeff Kennett takes a slightly different tack . But, alas, to no avail…..
2001 Published on 15 Feb 2018
The Geelong Cement Retirees' Museum has an Open Day- 25 April 2001 part 1
In 2001, the Geelong Cement Retirees' Museum faced closure and so a concerted effort by its custodians and many supporters was mounted to publicise its existance and extensive and varied collection….
2001 Published on 15 Feb 2018
Geelong Cement Retirees' Museum has an Open Day- 25 April 2001 part 2
An Open Day on ANZAC Day,2001, “… did a great deal to assist and the numerous comments from visitors on the collection, and especially the excellent manner of the displays, suggested the museum's future was assured”. But, alas this wasn’t to be the case.
2001 Published on 15 Feb 2018
A guided tour of the Geelong Cement Retirees' Museum- 23 April 2001
On Monday night, 23 April, 2001, museum curator, Max Parker, former manager at the APCL/Geelong-Adelaide Brighton Cement's limestone quarry at Batesford, took a family on a guided tour of the collection housed in the Geelong Cement Retirees' Museum, Herne Hill, Geelong, the former Geelong Orphange
2001 Published on 15 Feb 2018
Another guided tour of the Geelong Cement Retirees' Museum- May, 2001
Museum curator, Max Parker, shows visitors the collection, housed in the Geelong Cement Retirees' Museum, Herne Hill, Geelong, the former Geelong Orphange. The museum was open regularly on Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings. It was closed in late 2013 and the collection dispersed.
2001 Published on 18 Feb 2018
July 2001: A four-day auction will be held at the Geelong Cement's Fyansford works
In 2001, a series of disposal auctions was conducted at the site of the closed-down Geelong- Adelaide Brighton Cement works at Fyansford, Geelong: July 3 to 6; August 14 to 15. The video attempts to capture some of the atmosphere, including random scenes of the now very quiet- and non-polluting works.
Ca 2013 Published on 15 Feb 2018
3ft 6in gauge rail operation at Australian Portland Cement Ltd , Geelong
The method of supplying limestone from the Batesford quarry to the APCL works at Fyansford went through four main phases: * horse and cart * buckets suspended on an aerial ropeway * rail * multi-conveyor belt. The video depicts the method in which rail wagons hauling the mined limestone were shunted and emptied.
2015 Published on 17 Jan 2015
Australian Portland Cement Ltd., Fyansford, Geelong
'Using our resources wisely' - A video produced in the early to mid-1990s by Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd., demonstrating responsible practices in industrial waste management. Aerial views show the Geelong West and Fyansford works prior to their decommissioning in 1999-2000 and demolition soon after.
Andreas Makarewitsch
Andreas Makarewitsch
Andreas, thanks for keeping me-up-to-date. Much appreciated!
To see Andreas' collection visit his Page
Jo Mitchell
A fine example of Jo's photographic skill can be seen in the gallery below.
This collection featured on my Under the Spotlight page:
"Moorabool River ~ Alternate Perspectives".
Moorabool River ~ Alternate Perspectives (From Barwon Blog)
"On Saturday I decided to investigate a section of the Moorabool River which I had not yet seen - by kayak. I knew there would be obstacles, rocky sections and probably fallen trees and that at this time of year, water levels would be low. Boy, was I right! But that was only the beginning.
The section in question was the 10km stretch of river between Batesford and Fyansford which in recent decades has had an interesting history which I wasn't fully aware of before we began our paddle." (Jo Mitchell)
Azolla carpeting the surface of the river
near the Moorabool River Reserve
Moorabool paddle
Log and rock jam
Paddling really wasn't an option here
"After negotiating the rocks, weed and fallen branches in the section of the Moorabool directly below Batesford during our "paddle" on Saturday, we emerged to find ourselves confronted instead by a manmade obstacle. On the bank above us was a handrail following what looked like a pathway. In the river were large chunks of broken concrete and a little further downstream, the bank was lined with concrete and bluestone."
A pretty little pocket amongst the reeds
The concrete appears to have broken away
A series of five small weirs in the channel
Concrete-lined channel above site of first quarry
.Pathway with handrail and chunks of concrete
High-walled channel
"The final part of Saturday's expedition was less of a paddle and more of a hike - towing the kayaks up and down the rather steep banks of the Moorabool River at this point. After a rocky start to our paddle from Batesford Bridge followed by a relatively easy 3km section in which we traversed the re-routed section of the river around Batesford Quarry, we exited the formed channel and almost immediately found ourselves confronted by an almost impenetrable wall of reeds.(Jo Mitchell)
Into the reeds
Old Monier bridge at Fyansford
Pool in the Moorabool below the Ring Road
Azolla carpeting the surface of the river near the Moorabool River Reserv
Log and rock jam
Paddling really wasn't an option here
Azolla carpeting the surface of the river near the Moorabool River Reserv
Into the reeds
Overlooking the site of the trestle bridge, part of the Fyansford Cement Works
Old Monier bridge at Fyansford with the current bridge just visible behind
Into the reeds
Lewis Bandt Bridge, Geelong Ring Road
Overlooking the site of the trestle bridge
The places junk can end up!
A pretty little pocket amongst the reeds
A section where the concrete appears to have broken away, with an unlined
High-walled channel
A pretty little pocket amongst the reeds
Click image
to enlargen the photo...
Near Fyansford, 1846 State Library of Victoria
Charles Norton
