POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

'Her Majesty's Mails Arriving at Kiandra' by Kerry and Co

Object No. 85/1284-1232

This photographic negative was published by the Sydney firm Charles Kerry & Co. and is part of the Powerhouse Museum's Tyrrell collection which contains over 2,900 glass plate negatives by Kerry & Co. Although a few appear to be from the 1880s most were produced between 1892 and 1917. Over this period, and well into the early 1900s, prints from these negatives appeared in many Australian publications and albums of views. In 1903 the company began producing postcards from these negatives, further establishing the images as some of the most significant and best known early views of New South Wales. Some of the more significant themes covered by the collection include; views of New South Wales, Queensland, country towns, Sydney, Indigenous Australians, the South Pacific, rural life, native flora and fauna, and sentimental views. In addition a number of significant events from the 1900s are covered by the collection including; embarkation of troops for the Boer War, Hordens fire, the Inauguration of the Commonwealth in 1901, the arrival of the Great White Fleet and the Burns verses Johnson boxing match at Rushcutters Bay in 1908. Geoff Barker, Curatorial, January, 2009 References Newton, Gael, Shades of Light; Photography and Australia 1839 - 1988, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, 1988 David, Millar, Charles Kerry's Federation Australia, Sydney, David Ell Press, 1981 Tyrrell, James, Australian Aboriginal and South Sea Islands Implements, Weapons and Curios, James Tyrrell, Sydney, 1929 Skiing and Kiandra The dominant images of Australia's nature and culture tend to revolve around beaches, farmland, deserts and rainforest. However in the Snowy Mountains, an alpine region in the south-eastern corner of the mainland, snow and skiing have been an intricate part of the local communities since the middle of the 19th century. Skiing in Australia began in the New South Wales town of Kiandra, established as a gold mining settlement high in the Snowy Mountains in 1859. In winter snowbound locals made simple snowshoes - lengths of wood - in order to negotiate the snow. Today we call these skis. The 'Sydney Morning Herald' reported on the novel amusement of 'sliding' on snowshoes at Kiandra as early as 1861. By the 1880s Kiandra residents, among whom there were many Chinese, formed the Kiandra Snowshoe Club. Sports days with races and snow jumping were organised and the town became an annual event. These sports were recorded on glass plate negative by the renowned Sydney-based photographer Charles Kerry in 1896. Shortly after Kiandra came to be promoted by the New South Wales Government Tourist Bureau as for city tourists keen to experience snow and skiing. The story of skiing is also intrinsically linked to the history of cultural diversity in Australia. The community of Kiandra was already ethnically diverse by the end of the 19th century. Colonists of Anglo-celtic descent lived alongside others from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and their descendants. Most, if not all, participated in skiing. For example Maggie Wilson, the Australian-born daughter of Chinese miner and shopkeeper Tommy Ah Yan, became the first recognised Australian woman ski champion in the early 20th century. By that time Maggie Wilson and others were using snowshoes or skis fashioned from local mountain ash timber with a turn-up at the front, as opposed to the flat 'butter pat' style snow shoe used in the 1860s. It is thought that the technique for achieving the turn-up was introduced to the area by Norwegian immigrant Martin Amundsen. Amundsen was the cousin of Raold Amundsen, who would later become the first man to reach the South Pole. Martin allegedly jumped ship on the South Coast of New South Wales and made his way to Kiandra in the early 1880s. There he became involved in the local mining industry. From his home province of Telemark in Norway, he also brought the knowledge of air seasoning timber for skis. To Amundsen, therefore, can be attributed the single-handed transfer of a technology that facilitated the development of the local ski culture, tourism and manufacturing industry. The museum also holds in its collection a pair of show shoes (skis) D4362, donated in 1895 and believed to have been used by the Post Master General's department. (added by K. Hackett 28 June 2023, adapted from SoS for D4362, author unknown)