A historical photo from Fremantle History Centre’s collection has taken pride of place on a wall inside popular new music venue Freo.Social.
The 1895 building, originally an artillery drill hall, was recently renovated in collaboration with the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Trust and features a suite of interpretation artwork. Included in the artwork series is a historical photo of the Fremantle Volunteer Rifle Band believed to date back to 1886.
City of Fremantle Local History Engagement Officer Stewart Alger said the 1886 photo was sourced from Fremantle History Centre’s collection and recreated as a large-scale, floor-to-ceiling digital print on the ‘Situation Room’ wall in the venue.
“It’s an extraordinary photo, perhaps even one of the earliest photos we have on record of local Fremantle musicians,” Mr Alger said.
“While the Fremantle History Centre is dedicated to preserving and documenting Freo’s rich past, it’s also so important to make this history accessible to community and share these hidden treasures.
“We were thrilled to collaborate with Freo.Social’s social history curator on this innovative and contemporary way for sharing Fremantle’s history.”
The Fremantle Volunteer Rifle Band photo was donated to the Fremantle History Centre by Andrew Simmonds, who’s passionate about genealogy and came across the photo while researching and tracing his ancestors.
“Donors like Mr Simmonds play an important part in sharing stories about Fremantle’s history,” Mr Alger said.
“If you do have any historical photos, letters, records or memorabilia that have been passed down through the generations, we’d love to hear from you.
“We depend on these types of contributions from residents, business and organisations to help us keep the history of Fremantle alive for today’s generation and future generations to come.”
