an exhibition of surviving photographs
from the records of the NSW Aborigines Welfare Board,
from 1919 to 1966

Wedding photo of Emma Downey and Billy Richardson, New Angledool, 1925: reproduced with permission of Mervyn Bishop, Rita Gibbs and Marjorie R Little; and the approval of the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs

presented by
State Records NSW &
NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs

» How to get to State Records Gallery

» In Living Memory NSW tour

» Exhibition catalogue

In June 1977, the official records of the former New South Wales Aborigines Welfare Board were transferred to the protection of State Records, the NSW Government archives institution. Along with the Board's correspondence, reports and ledgers, there were approximately 1000 loosely stored black and white photographs of Aboriginal people taken between 1919 and 1966. These images are the surviving photographic records of the NSW Aborigines Welfare Board.

In Living Memory — an exhibition based on the photographs — opened to the public at State Records Gallery in The Rocks on 8 September 2006. The exhibition has been so well received that it has been extended until 31 January 2009.

The Board photographs do not provide a complete picture of Indigenous life from the 1920s to the 1960s. Some people and places are represented by many photographs; others by a few or none at all. However, the process of meeting with Indigenous communities to research, develop and present the exhibition has begun to bring new life to those historical records that have survived. In Living Memory is helping to create a new purpose and place for the photographs within contemporary Indigenous life.

Studio portrait of Linda Fernando: reproduced with permission of George Rose, Walgett; and the approval of the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs

For other information held by State Records NSW see:

• Resources for Indigenous people

Official Records/Personal Lives

Although little contextual information accompanied the photographs on their arrival at State Records in 1977, it is clear that most were taken to document the work of the Aborigines Welfare Board and to promote its policies. The collection includes images of children from the bush visiting Sydney for annual summer camps; wedding photos of couples getting married on reserves and stations throughout Western NSW; and studio portraits of young Aboriginal women.

Knowing today that most of these women were taken as girls from their families and trained at Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls' Home as domestic servants leads us to wonder about the true personal experience of all the people captured in the official public images. Other photographs more clearly reveal the poverty and hardship of children's homes; the bleakness of official housing and education; and the hard labour for men and boys working on the land.

And yet, there is also evidence of pride, resilience and joy, despite the intrusion of the authorities in every aspect of Aboriginal people's lives. Some photographs with personal inscriptions were sent by young women back to the matrons of homes they had grown up in. Other photos were submitted by the readers of Dawn magazine (published by the Board between 1952 and 1969), with hope they might be published and seen by lost relatives.

Family, Community, Culture

Much of the detail we do know about the images comes from personal and official inscriptions which appear on the reverse sides of about half of the photos; and from links that have been made since with other Aborigines Welfare Board records. Important information is also coming from the memories and experiences of people pictured in the photos or from the confirmation of their families and communities. All of this valuable detail is going into a photographic database, which will enable visitors to the exhibition to search for individuals, places and institutions pictured in the images.

Though the policies of successive governments aimed to dismantle Aboriginal culture, Indigenous people have always found ways to reunite with family and community and to create contemporary links to their culture. Today the Board's written records and photographs are valuable for the leads and clues they may provide to help in this process.

Consent, Advice, Support

Decades after the photographs were taken, they still produce mixed emotions for Indigenous viewers — from the delight of seeing rare evidence of community and culture to the sad reminder of loss and separation. Because of these sensitivities, the entire exhibition process involves the consent, advice and support of many strands of the Indigenous community, including the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs for guidance and protocols; an advisory group for ongoing input and support; and the approval and contribution of individuals and communities represented in the Board's photos.

Roy and June Barker, Lightning Ridge, 2006, photographed by Mervyn Bishop: reproduced with the permission of Roy and June Barker and the approval of Mervyn Bishop

Whilst all of the photographs are open to the public, permission is required to tell individual stories or to highlight the photos in promotional materials and the media. The exhibition team met with Elders, families and communities around NSW to gain approvals from people pictured in the photos, their oldest surviving relative or representatives of their community. These permissions have been reconfirmed to extend the exhibition until 30 June 2008.

The State Records exhibition team is developing a travelling version of the exhibition for 2008. Kirsten Thorpe, Archivist — Aboriginal Liaison, is a Worimi woman who has worked at the archives for seven years, assisting Indigenous people to research their family records. Sue Newman, Project Officer — Aboriginal Liaison, is a Dungatti woman, who also works with the Indigenous records. Creative Producer Susan Charlton curates State Records' exhibition program and edits its magazine Vital Signs.

Indigenous photographer Mervyn Bishop and exhibition designers Alison Page and Margie Rahmann, who were part of the original exhibition team, continue to be involved in developing the travelling version. Merv’s photos of Elders and community members have been an important element of the exhibition, providing an interesting counterpoint to the Board's official photos.

Members of the ongoing Exhibition Advisory Group include Lola Edwards, representing Cootamundra Girls' Home; Cec Bowden and Ray Minniecon, representing Kinchela Boys' Home; Christine Blakeney and Bill Hipkin, representing Bomaderry Children's Home; Glendra Stubbs from Link-Up; Keith Munro from the Museum of Contemporary Art; Melissa Jackson and Ronald Briggs from the State Library of NSW; and Richard Aldridge from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.

Welcome

In Living Memory is a respectful exhibition experience that honours the Aborigines Welfare Board photographs as a record of the past that is still very much alive today. The photos were taken within living memory and are being exhibited in loving memory. State Records and the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs welcome you all to visit In Living Memory.

See previous exhibitions by State Records