ADELAIDE CAMERA CLUB

The Adelaide Camera Club, originally the Malvern Camera Club, is the oldest camera club in South Australia. On the first page of the club’s first minute book is the entry: ‘On Tuesday Sep 19, 1902, about 8 gentlemen met together in the classroom at the back of the Malvern Wesleyan Church with the intention of forming a photographic society. The meeting had just begun when an interruption occurred in the form of an earthquake; but after the excitement had subsided they then got to business. The following officers were appointed: President, Mr A Moyle; Secretary, S.G. Felstead; Treasurer, E. Pengelly; Librarian, R. Charlick… The name given to the society was that of the "Malvern Photo Club". After a good deal of discussion the subscriptions were fixed at 7/6 for gentlemen, and 5/- for ladies.’

A report in the Australasian Photo-Review for January 1904 said that the club had 24 members and that ‘interesting and helpful meetings’ were being held fortnightly. At a recent exhibition over 100 competitive pictures had been exhibited. In February the club decided on a change of name and venue, and on 15 March 1904 the members held their first meeting under the new name of Adelaide Camera Club in rooms at the Citizen’s Life Office Building in King William Street.

The high level of the club’s activity was revealed in the 1904 annual report. ‘A fixed programme has been carried out which included practical demonstrations on developing negatives, bromide printing, carbon, platinotype, double printing, mounting and framing, enlarging, bromide-toning, and transparencies, and papers were read on :– The Camera and Appliances, History of Photography, and Composition and Selection, and Forest Photography. Competitions were held in bromide printing from the same negatives, lantern slides from the same negative, trimming and mounting. Much interest was manifest by members in these competitions especially in the lantern slides, when 32 slides were entered.’ Excursions were held at National Park Belair, Mount Lofty, Campbelltown and Fulham, and a successful exhibition held in September.

In 1905 the name of the club appears to have been changed to Adelaide Amateur Camera Club, but the club eventually reverted to its original name without the word ‘Amateur.’

A typical club outing took place on 1 September 1905, a holiday, to the ‘Horse Shoe and Noarlunga Township’ where ‘considering the disadvantages of the wind, dust, and the dull weather, the quantity and quality of the work done was distinctly above the average.’ The outing was described by the secretary: ‘At 8.30 am … 31 members and friends of the club left King William Street (opposite Citizens’ Buildings) in two drags and drove to Noarlunga, arriving at about 11.15 near the church, when everyone took their cameras, baskets, &c., and walked down the hill at the back of the church to a nice flat piece of ground with the hills on one side to shelter from a rather strong wind and the river on the other side, which was running very full after the recent rains.

‘Rugs were spread out on the green grass, the ladies prepared the lunch table while some of the members gathered wood and set the billy boiling. After lunch cameras were to be seen in every direction… Some of the party spent part of the time in games of different kinds, and parties of two, three, four and upwards moved off in different directions to secure pictures of the scenery along the river, which is very beautiful..

‘The party met at the Noarlunga Hotel and partook of tea after which they left for Adelaide, arriving about 9 o’clock, having spent a most enjoyable day.’

By 1911 the Adelaide Camera Club was holding monthly meetings supplemented by a regular monthly outing. On the 1911-1912 programme outings were scheduled for Eden Hills, Glen Osmond, Paradise, Blackwood, Along the Torrens, Campbelltown, Lockleys and the Port River.

The activities of the club slowed during World War I but did not stop. In September 1916 the secretary reported that ‘although we are living through a very troublous time, the members are working well and helping to show that there is still a little brightness left.’ Two months later he reported that the annual exhibition had been a success, but that ‘through some of the members being on active service, and others busy with war work, the members’ entry was not as great as formerly.’ However, the smaller entry was ‘more than compensated for by the higher standard of the work shown.’

The Adelaide Camera Club survived the great Depression and two World Wars, and in the 1990s was offering a programme of fortnightly meetings, workshop nights, field trips, regular competitions, guest speakers and judges, a programme that was much more modern but in much the same format as that offered when the club was formed almost a century ago.

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