Aborigines Welfare Board Photographs

Full description

This series comprises black and white, and some colour or tinted photographs. The official and personal photographs in this series were taken all over New South Wales at many reserves, stations, homes and schools such as Purfleet (Taree), Walgett, Caroona (Quirindi), Condobolin, Burra Bee Dee, Namina (Wellington), Tingha, Boggabilla, Bomaderry Children's Home, Bimbadeen Girls Home at Cootamundra and Kinchela Boys Training Home. Some of the photographs were taken in Queensland. Most of the photographs are unidentified and undated (1). The photographs of an official nature show: "interior and exterior views of accommodation and housing projects; pupils and teachers; station managers; and matrons. They also record the visits of Government officials” (2). The personal photographs range from formal studio portraits mainly of female wards in the 1920s to snapshots mainly taken in the 1950s and 1960. The photographs show “Aboriginal children and adults participating in many activities, such as football, basketball, cricket, swimming, gardening; attending school, christenings, first communions, weddings, birthday and Christmas parties; on excursions; gatherings of families and friends; and visiting Luna Park” (3). The photographs show female wards in their domestic service uniforms, sometimes accompanied by their employers or employers' children. The photographs are generally arranged in numeric order, except for six photographs comprising consignment two of this series. These photographs have no discernable arrangement. A note about the photographs Researchers accessing the photographs should be aware, that in some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, seeing the names and/or images of deceased persons may cause sadness or distress, particularly to the relatives of those people. Custody History The records in this series were transferred to the Archives Office by the Aborigines Services Branch of the Department of Youth and Community Services in 1977, and by the Office of the Prime Minister in 1998. The records transferred in 1998 were an archival estray. Endnotes 1. Archives Authority of New South Wales A guide to the New South Wales Archives relating to Aboriginal people, Sydney, 1998, p.25 2. loc. cit 3. loc. cit