Summary

Photograph showing the ceremonial laying of the first brick for Building 4 at the Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd factory in Abbotsford, 30 April 1928. In this photograph, which is the third in a series of six documenting the event, Miss B Kingston and Mr Thomas Baker are pointing to the first brick that has been laid by Miss Kingston.

Thomas Baker was a pioneer of photographic manufacturing in Australasia. He was the founder of the Austral Laboratory, and then Baker & Rouse, which merged into Kodak Australasia in 1908. Baker remained a director of Kodak Australasia and was an indispensable technical director of manufacturing until his death in 1928.

Miss Kingston is thought to have been secretary to one of the directors of Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, possibly Mr Thomas Baker.

Mr James Gault's grandson donated this photograph to the Kodak Heritage Collection. James Gault was originally a photographic artist who later worked in various positions with Kodak, probably from about the early 20th century until about 1941, when he left to start a business with his son Robert who was an electrical engineer. He was held in good regard by the company. In 1913 he was rewarded 1 pound for an innovation to stop machinery in the case of an accident, to make the factory safer.

When he left the company, Mr Gault and his son were invited to a lunch with the managing director Edgar Rouse in December 1941, to wish them good luck in their new endeavour on behalf of the company directors. In 1928, along with 9 other senior staff, Mr Gault was left 300 pounds by Kodak managing director Thomas Baker after he died. Kodak workers of more than eight years service were all provided for in Mr Baker's will, with most staff receiving from 40 to 200 pounds. James Gault's many years of service and the esteem he was held in by Thomas Baker no doubt contributed to the generous legacy that he received.

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.

Description of Content

Woman wearing dress and striped cardigan and a man in a suit, bow-tie and hat are pointing to a brick on the ground. They are standing on the footings of a new building that is being constructed. There are timber supports and string set up around the footings. A fence is in the background.

Physical Description

Black and white landscape format print with white border.

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