Letter - Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, Edgar Rouse to James Gault, 3 Dec 1941

Summary

Letter sent by Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd managing director Edgar Rouse to Kodak employee James Gault, 3 Dec 1941. The letter invites Mr Gault and his son Robert 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. Mr Gault had recently left Kodak to start a business with his son Robert who was an electrical engineer.

James Gault was originally a photographic artist who later worked in various positions with Kodak, and its predecessor company Baker & Rouse, probably from about the late 19th century until about 1941. Jame's Gault's wife also worked at Baker & Rouse.

Mr Gault 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. 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. To be invited to lunch with the managing director was another sign of the esteem in which Mr Gault was held.

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.