The Para Camera Club turns 40 this year (2012) so we asked Tony Cave, one of the founding members, past president and still active member to compile a brief history of the club and supply a few images from past competitions.
PARA CAMERA CLUB HISTORY
When I moved into Elizabeth, in 1969, there wasn’t a local Camera Club apart from W.R.E & G.M.H., (you had to work at these places to be a member), so in 1972 I decided to start one.
The first club name chosen was Elizabeth Camera Club, and a number of years later this was changed to Para District Photographic Society and then to its present name of Para Camera Club.
In those early days the South Australian Photographic Federation, which had been going for about 10 years, was the advisor for all the Camera Clubs. They assisted in supplying judges, speakers and this was of course a great way of learning to improve your photography.
The club started with quite a raw committee, but with a lot of time and hard work we got through the first year. In the present club we still have four of the original members, Tony Cave, David Lamplough, Dennis Wetherley, and Ron Heptinstall.
All the work was certainly worth it, even the time when the Secretary, (Rob Mitchell), and; President, (Tony Cave), did a letterbox drop, in the Secretary’s car throughout a considerable amount of Elizabeth streets, in those days there was no emails etc.
Of course there was no digital imaging only film, black & white & colour prints & colour slides, so what you photographed was what you got, if you included something in an image in most cases it had to stay. Also with 35mm film the most you could take was 36 exposures, so each shot had to count, unlike today where you can take quite a considerable amount of images.
We had quite a number of members doing B/W prints and; colour slides so we decided to have competitions and; these were very well attended. We had trips out on the weekends where members could socialise and; obtain information on how to improve their techniques.
The club has seen a number of changes in photography & now has a surge in membership, which after 40 years is fabulous. We can only hope that this success will continue for many years to come, and; remembering back to those early times it was all worthwhile.
Tony Cave.
