| Portrait of Hay contains 1600 photos on two CD-ROMs, plus much historical information. The project was a spin-off from the Gavin A. Johnston Negative Indexing task, in which 78,000 black & white negatives were identified, listed, indexed and archived for future use. The CDs showcase a selection of about 1500 of these photos, adding several other important collections spanning a period of 125 years. |  Hay's first Courthouse, on the site of the present Post Office (photo: H.T. Davidson, about 1874). |
CD (2) contain two further groups of Gavin Johnston's photographs. One group is of properties, events and villages of the Hay district. The other is of copies Gavin made of older photographs (by unknown photographers) of local historical importance.
Also included on this CD are other smaller collections:
Fred Harrison (1888 - 1964) was the son of George Henry Harrison, a local merchant and storekeeper. Fred's excellent photos of Hay and local personalities are mostly dated from the first World War era and are reproduced from glass plates.
Albert Underwood (1883 - 1956) became caretaker and grave-digger of the Hay Cemetery in 1913, and continued in that role for 43 years until his death in 1956. Albert's photographs included here are mainly from the 1931 floods and the Second World War POW Camp era.
Derek Woolcott's involvement with recording the buildings of Hay & district began in the mid-1970's when he made a number of visits to research and photograph structures which he identified as of historical interest. He submitted photographs and descriptions to the National Trust, as a result of which many buildings were listed, and several received classified status. Derek's black & white photographs are included.
Elizabeth Gibson and Caroline Merrylees are local artists. Included are photographs by both, recording contemporary images and selected subjects of Hay and district.
Included also are photographs taken in 1874 by H. T. Davidson and others of historical importance by unknown photographers.
