Noosa's past, in pictures

Noosa Library Service will launch a new historical photographic collection this month, which provides a fascinating peek into Noosa’s past.

The collection captures key Noosa events, people and places from the 1960s to the 1990s. The first stage of the collection, to be released on February 25 will include pictures from the 1960s and early 1970s.

Highlights include elephants walking down Poinciana Ave, toad races, surfing competitions, school photos, speedboat races, water skiing competitions and significant development projects, says Noosa Library Service Heritage Librarian Jane Harding.

The collection also features snapshots of Noosa during times of disaster, with some of the photographs showing cyclone damage and the impact of fire and floods.

Local photographers Sam and Bill Griffiths snapped the photos, with the negatives thought lost until they turned up recently at a local office and were offered to Council.

Sam Griffiths was the proprietor of Griffiths Photographic Studio. He also established the Noosa News. His son Bill worked with him in both ventures. 

“This is a particularly significant collection,” Ms Harding says.

“While many of the negatives had deteriorated, our staff and dedicated library volunteers have been working hard to assess, index, digitize and catalogue the images for the community’s permanent enjoyment and education.”

Ms Harding said the volunteers were amazed at the history captured in the pictures.

“The fact that the pictures feature people who continue to live locally today, and events that are still running, makes the collection very valuable as we will be able to find out significant detail, which is not always possible with historical collections,” she said.

The images have been preserved with the support of Noosa Council’s Heritage Levy and they will be progressively added to the Library’s online Picture Noosa collection.

Stage 1 of the collection will be launched at Noosaville Library on Wednesday 25 February 2015.  Book online at www.libraries.noosa.qld.gov.au or by calling (07) 5329 6555. .

11 February, 2015