Summary

Photograph of Kodak Australasia drivers with their parked delivery vehicles outside the Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd black and white photographic processing and developing facility in Burnley, 1953-1954.

The Burnley building was located at 550-556 Swan Street Burnley and was purchased by Kodak in 1950 as the Abbotsford factory became too cramped. The building was previously the Barnes Honey Factory.

Both Kodak's black and white photo finishing laboratory and its Powder and Solution Department (later known as the Photochemical Department) operated out of these premises until 1974. The delivery drivers pictured in this image would drop off photographic film for processing and later pick up the finished prints and negatives to deliver to retail customers.

The Developing and Printing Department was on the top floor while the Powder & Solution Department was on the ground floor. The ground floor window at far right is where the first aid room was. The window to the left of this was the manager's office. The window to the left of that was the secretary's office and the main entrance was to the left of that. At far left was the entrance to the factory yard and to the left of that was the quality control laboratory. (Information from former staff member Marie De Camara, nee McKinley)

The Photochemical Department was transferred to the Coburg factory in 1974, while the photo finishing laboratory closed down at this time because a black and white processing and developing service was no longer provided by Kodak after Burnley was vacated.

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

Image consists of a street view of a brick building. At left there appears to be a yard and vehicle entrance. There are six Kodak pick-up vans/cars parked in the street with six male Kodak staff standing next to each vehicle. The men are all wearing shirts, pants and ties with a dust coat over the top.

Physical Description

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

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