Capturing Deakin’s photographic history in the Archives
In the University Archives, we have been busy wrangling our vast photographic negative collection. There are many thousands of images capturing students, staff, publicity, visiting dignitaries, activities on campus – pretty much anything and everything that happened from the final years of The Gordon at Waurn Ponds in 1971, through to the establishment of Deakin, up to when the photographers went digital around 2005.
Chancellor Peter Thwaites and Sir Henry Winneke, Governor of Victoria, lead the procession to Deakin’s opening ceremony, 1978.
Negatives were held in multiple locations across campuses, many of them removed from their original locations and the system that controlled them. This left us unsure of what content we had and where to find it. To ensure the integrity of the collection and to help us find stuff, we have identified the original system of arrangement and are returning the negative sheets to their original order to be held in a single location.
Understanding the system and processes of creation for any collection is key and gives meaning to archive items. One of the pleasures of capturing such provenance has been connecting with some of the photographers themselves.
Peter Lane, currently Senior Video Producer at Deakin, captured some of our earliest images and has helped solve some riddles in the system, as has former Deakin Photographer Simon Fox who dropped in to advise. (Thanks for the cake, Foxy!) Peter and Simon’s vast experience and expertise have been invaluable.
Reconnecting with the original photographers has enabled us to better document provenance. Left to right: Archivists Antony Catrice and James Lee with Simon Fox.
All this photographic evidence has solved many mysteries and confirmed some rumours: yes, the Divinyls did play in Deakin in 1988. No pics of Chrissy Amphlett, unfortunately, (presumably Deakin photographers didn’t work after-hours then) but high-res negs allow us to pick up the detail on a flyer attached to the wall of this student residence.
This student, one assumes, is catching up on some reading before heading to the recreation centre where entry was only $8 to Deakin student and BYO drinks!
And the Deakin Regatta was indeed a thing! Deakin’s answer to the America’s Cup was held on the lake at Waurn Ponds annually from 1986–1990. Further research reveals the winners of the 1989 Regatta pictured below had their names engraved on an oar in Deakin House.
Other photos leave us scratching our heads.
Photos of dignitaries, grand occasions, our Deakin founders and student activities are all important history, not only to Deakin but to education in the state and to the nation. The photographer’s skill is often in capturing the mood of people and places. Some of the best images, such as the one below, show Deakin when newly emerged from The Gordon and still something of an intruder on the landscape. Amidst newly built and substantial structures, Deakin staff and students get on with the business of creating a university.
Following this project, we intend to move on to preserving Deakin’s digital photographic collection.
Images from the collection are available and accessible to all by contacting the University Archives at [email protected].