Summary

Black and white, silver gelatin photograph of the official opening of the Kodak factory complex at Coburg, 14 April 1961.

Amongst the seated audience, in the second row, second from the left is Ted Bedgood, a chemist who began his training at Kodak as part of a research group in 1930. In the front row, first from the left, is Colin Williams.

Construction of the Kodak factory complex in Coburg began in 1957 on 23 hectares of former farmland. Since 1908, Kodak had been operating from the factory in Abbotsford and had gradually outgrown the premises. The Abbotsford factory remained operational while the Coburg plant was being built until it closed in1966. Architect Harry Norris of H A & F L Norris & Associates, created the design for the new factory and individual buildings for the manufacture of silver halide photographic products. The building contract was awarded to Lewis Constructions Pty Ltd. The still uncompleted complex was officially opened on 14 April 1961 by the Prime Minister, Robert G. Menzies with Dr. A Chapman, President of Eastman Kodak Company, in attendance. The complex was the national headquarters of Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd.

Kodak manufactured and distributed a wide range of photographic products to Australasia, such as film, paper, chemicals, cameras and miscellaneous equipment. Its client base included amateur and professional photographers, as well as specialist medical and graphic art professionals who used photography, x-ray and other imaging techniques.

This photograph is part of the Kodak collection of products, promotional materials, photographs and working life artefacts collected from Kodak Australasia in 2005, when the Melbourne manufacturing plant at Coburg closed down.

Description of Content

Photograph of a seated audience of men and women in a hall. To the rear of the hall is a display of images and text on partition boards, separating distinct areas. There are labels on the wall above each area: 'INDUSTRY', 'COMMERCE', MEDICINE and 'FAMILY LIFE'. In the front row, there are men with cameras and to the far right is a man standing in front of a film camera on a tripod.

Physical Description

Black and white, silver gelatin photograph, printed on medium weight paper with a white border, landscape format.

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