A Splash of Colour was launched on Friday, 28 August at the Ninbella Gallery in Bangalow bringing the history of Bangalow to life.
‘What did Bangalow look like before the cafés, boutiques and galleries? Before the paved streets, modern homes and busy highways? Who were the people who built their lives here, and what can their stories tell us about the community we have become today?’ said the Bangalow Historical Society (BHS).
‘These questions were at the heart of creating A Splash of Colour – a coffee table book featuring digitally restored and colourised photographs of the Bangalow district from 1900 to 1960.
‘But this book is much more than a collection of old photographs. It is a visual record of ordinary people living extraordinary lives – a glimpse into a world that has largely disappeared.’
The photographs within the book reveal a very different world. They show people living close to the land, working hard to establish farms and businesses, raising families and building small communities with limited resources. They reveal the realities of early life – the hardship, isolation and uncertainty, but also the determination, ingenuity and resilience that enabled people to survive and prosper.
‘The Bangalow Museum respectfully acknowledges the Bundjalung people, the First Nations custodians of this country, who cared for and lived in connection with this land for countless generations before European settlement in the late nineteenth century. Their knowledge, custodianship and deep connection to Country are an essential part of the story of this place,’ said BHS.
‘The arrival of European settlers brought profound change. Land was cleared for farms, timber and settlement, and many of the native species and natural environments that had sustained generations of First Nations people were not protected. The landscape was transformed as new communities were established and the foundations of the Bangalow district we know today began to emerge.
‘A Splash of Colour acknowledges both aspects of that history –the ancient custodianship of Country that came first, and the later story of settlement, development and community building. Understanding the past means recognising all these layers of history and the changes that have shaped this place.’
A Splash of Colour is intended as a keepsake, but also as a legacy – a tangible record of the people and places that helped shape the 2479 district.
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