Boxes of transparencies taken by my in-laws, Jean and Alan Conolly had not been opened in nearly 60 years.Ā  They were mostly family shots taken around Hobart (Glenorchy and Sandy Bay)Ā  in the 1950s and early 60s.Ā  I might add that my own parentsĀ  were still using an old Box Brownie at that stage.

I realizedĀ  my partner Rob would never have time to look through them,Ā  so one wet and coldĀ  day I carted them up from the garageĀ  and made a start.Ā  The brass bell in the following photo was to call Rob for room service. I thought that was fair enough, since the pics wereĀ  of his family. šŸ˜ŽĀ  As for turningĀ  any decent shots into digital images, well neither of us had any idea how to go about it.

A bed full of transparencies.

Working lunch, a bit rough but much appreciated.

I wasĀ  idly holding one against my bedside lamp whenĀ  it occurred to me that I couldĀ  just photograph the image with my phone and crop it etc.

Oh my word, it was a revelation.Ā  The result was definitely not professional quality, but perfectly adequateĀ  for my nostalgic purposes.

In tribute toĀ  the TasmanianĀ  author Nan Chauncy I call this one ‘They Found a Cave’.Ā  That’s Rob sittingĀ  in front.

The 1950s were suchĀ  carefree days for a little boy. There wereĀ  many shots takenĀ  withĀ  his Mum, his beloved CorgiĀ  and his football.

At the beach,

Great mark. Note the rotary clothes line at left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the sweet transparencies of Rob.

Rob and Nugget.

Hey, off the bed before Mum sees you!

The classroom calls.Ā  All too soonĀ  it was off to school at Glenorchy with his big sister Judi.

Goodness knows where this bar-b-que was taking place, but the grass tussocks look a bit of a fire hazard.

Here we have a picnic with friends, by the water somewhere. That’s my late mother-in-law Jean organizing things. Knowing her, the food would have been wonderful,

What a classic shot this is. Laundry drying onboard yachts at Constitution Dock, probably after a Sydney-HobartĀ  race.Ā  Neither of the boats belonged toĀ  my father-in-law Alan, but heĀ  was passionate about sailing from the days of his boyhood in Manly. I seem to have transposed this slide; all too easy to do unfortunately. The name of the yacht on the left is Birrarlee. It would be great if someone remembers her.

Of all the transparenciesĀ  I captured with my phone, this one charmed me the most. A row of girl guides skipping with simple joy. I would love to know more about the occasion. Perhaps they were on a camping trip? The girl with the bare knees is Judi. I have no idea who the others are, nor the identity of the rope holders. The little onlooker with the pink jumper andĀ  pigtails was probably wishing she could join in.

A few years on and JudiĀ  is ready for her deb ball.Ā  It was a right of passage in those days. Jean would definitely have made both dresses.

Here is a teenage Rob contemplating life on a trip to Hong Kong, circa 1965.Ā  AlanĀ  Conolly worked forĀ  the HobartĀ  companyĀ  Silk & Textiles and spent a lot of time overseas.Ā On this occasion the whole family travelled with him.

Overlooking Hong Kong Harbour.

The factory floor at Silk and Textiles.

The worst quality slide I decided to keep is very special. A three or four year old Rob is standing by a little chest of drawers his father made. That looks like a model boat beside him.

Seventy years later it is a cherished piece of furniture in our Blue Mountains home.Ā  The photo on displayĀ  is of Alan inĀ  uniform during WWII. He enlisted in the A.I.F,Ā  but transferred to the R.A.A.F toĀ  train as a pilot. The silver tankard is a sailing trophy awarded to him in 1939,

Replicating on e of the special transparencies.

Pity I couldn’t find a bow tie…or any sort of tie! ā¤ļø

I was so pleased we didn’t throw the transparencies out beforeĀ  looking at them. They representĀ  a little slice of Tasmanian life.

For someĀ  ‘proper’ ways to make digital images from slides. CLICK HERE.

4 Comments
  1. Pauline,
    I am the youngest of 4 children and the last survivor. When my sister died a few years ago, my neice boxed up my mother’s slides which my sister had been holding, and sent them to me. I kept, and named, the family ones for future generations. But a lot showed early years of my home town. I donated them to the local history museum, hoping someone else will find them interesting in years to come.

    • Pauline

      Well done you Barbara. I would never have thought of donating them to a local history museum. šŸ˜Š

  2. Such wonderful memories looking back at old pics. You did a great job photographing the skudes

Leave a Reply

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.