Summary

Colour photograph of a group of men and women, seated and standing, at the reception at the official opening of the Kodak factory complex at Coburg, 14 April 1961.

The fourth man seated from the left is Nigel Beal, Emulsion Manufacturing department; the woman standing second from the right with glasses is Marion Blatchly and standing far right behind the woman seated with the white hat is John Clements, manager of the Motion Picture and Audiovisual Marketing division. This department sold audiovisual equipment, film and chemicals for the feature film and television commercial production.

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

The photograph focuses on a group of eight men and one woman seated around a table with drinks and food. Two people are seated but barely visible in the print. Behind the group there are people standing in a reception area. Some people are wearing red and yellow name tags.

Physical Description

Colour photograph, printed on medium weight paper with a white border, landscape format.

More Information