Book Launch - Goyder's Line in Kodachrome

"Goyder's Line in Kodachrome: Colin Avery and the Origins of Colour Photography in Australia"

Image: Colin Avery with his pony, Silver (cropped)

Roger's book Goyder's Line in Kodachrome describes the stunning colour photographs taken by his uncle, Colin Avery, between 1941 and 1944. They document vividly and intimately the life of the Avery family on and around their small farm northwest of Orroroo. This was marginal country, beyond the bounds of Surveyor-General George Goyder's Line marking the limit of areas considered suitable for agricultural crops. 

Roger discovered these photographs after Col's death in 2013, in his workshop at Crystal Brook. Beginning in 1941, Col exposed thirteen rolls of Kodachrome slide film. This was less than a year after Kodachrome's release in Australia, following its release in the US only a year or two earlier. This led to a second astonishing discovery. After a great deal of research by Roger and others, they concluded that this is the earliest known collection of Kodachrome photography anywhere in Australia, and amongst the earliest worldwide. Moreover, Kodachrome is widely considered to mark the beginning of the era of modern colour photography. 

This indicates that the collection is of both state and national level importance. The book is profusely illustrated with Col's Kodachromes and a selection of his hundreds of black and white images from this period, with detailed captions. It documents Col's photographic achievements, introduces his family members, and describes the surrounding district. It also illustrates the transition in progress at this time from horse-drawn farming equipment to mechanisation.