Corkhill Collection

The William Henry Corkhill Tilba Tilba photograph collection is a collection of 875 photographs taken by William Corkshill in between 1890 and 1910 at his property in Tilba Tilba on Yuin Country. Some of these photographs are of local Yuin people, including photographs of Elder King Merriman and Queen Narelle.

More details about the Corkhill collection exceprted from The Triangle Community News by Stephanie Anderson https://thetriangle.org.au/through-the-lens-images-of-pearl-corkhill-1887-1985/

“William Henry Corkhill (1846-1936) took evident delight in photographing his family at their property, “Marengo”, in Tilba Tilba. His three children, Edith, Pearl (her first name was Elizabeth but she was known by her second) and Norman, with assorted pets, feature prominently as subjects, his wife Frances née Bate less so. The heritage of the Triangle region is infinitely indebted to both the father and his daughter, Pearl, for the unique photographic record he left of the area, he for its creation and she for its preservation.

Corkhill, since migrating to New South Wales as a boy, had been employed variously in the district, notably as a cheesemaker. But around 1890 he turned to photography professionally. Over a period of twenty years he took photographs mainly of Tilba Tilba and Central Tilba but also the wider setting of Bermagui, Wallaga Lake and Cobargo. He recorded the lives of the settlers: individuals, families (many of their descendants residing here today), social and sporting events, buildings (most still easily identifiable), gold mining on Gulaga and timber felling, farming and prized farm animals. Indigenous history is represented too, with portraits, group photographs from Wallaga Lake and photographs of the impressive funeral of Queen Narelle attended by Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents alike. There is no comparable comprehensive pictorial record of village life in the pre-Federation and early post-Federation years of this country.

It came to be preserved because, after her brother Norman died, Pearl discovered the glass plates which held the precious negatives stored in dusty boxes under his house. Planting the boxes on the table of her friend and local historian Norm Hoyer, she asked “What should I do with these?” To which he replied, “We should give them to the nation”. She offered the plates to the National Library of Australia, which gratefully accepted them, but Pearl and Norm then took on the massive task of captioning the photos from their local knowledge. The collection can be viewed online as digital images on the NLA website and also at the Bermagui Museum (next to the Information Centre) which holds an enhanced digital archive thanks to the dedication of Bermagui photographer Dave Cotton who devoted countless hours to restoration and enhancement.”