Preserving history with precious pictures

VOLUNTEERING is second nature to Lorraine Joan Harvey.

When she was just 11, she was offering her services as a cadet for St. John Ambulance. Since then, she has given her time at Ballarat Secondary College, the Royal South Street Society, Ballarat Lyric Theatre, BLOC Music Theatre and more.

“I was raised this way. I’m used to working for free,” she said. “I used to work at the mixed business with my mother, I wasn’t paid then either.”

On top of this extensive resume, Ms Harvey has spent her entire life collecting a comprehensive photographic history of Ballarat.

“I would walk around town and if I saw a monument I liked, snap. If I saw a house I liked, snap,” she said. “On one walk I used nearly six rolls of film.

“If there’s no silly people like me who go around taking photos of everything, then how will future generations know what Lake Wendouree looked like when I was younger?”

She has also worked tirelessly with the history and archives committee of the South Street Society, where she assembled an impressive portfolio, capturing the history of the society over many decades.

“I love ballet and the arts, so helping to maintain this history wasn’t a chore for me,” she said. “The RSSS also granted me a life membership, which was very flattering,”

Ms Harvey’s voluntary nature and photographic talent is what’s earned her a spot as one of Zonta Ballarat’s Great Women for 2020.

However, her modesty caused for some hesitation with accepting the nomination.

“Bragging about achievements just isn’t me, I think my kids don’t even know some of the awards I’ve gotten over the years,” she said.

Despite Ms Harvey’s humbleness, her volunteer work has earned her countless awards and prizes.

While working with St. John Ambulance in the 1960s, she received a badge for 200 hours of public duty.

She was granted the Michael Ronaldson Award for her volunteer work within the former Ballarat Secondary College Norman Street campus.

“Volunteering has been a big part of my life, it’s important to live a charitable life,” she said.

Ms Harvey also held a leadership role within the Scouts movement, where she received many honours and praises.

In 1991, she found work as a photojournalist for the movement’s newspaper, The Nugget.

“I enjoyed the work, but found it a bit hard, so I decided to begin studying VCE English as a mature age student,” she said.

“The kids at the school saw me as a bit of a ‘mum-figure’, as I’d usually spend my morning tea in the staff room with the teachers.”

Ms Harvey was first introduced to photography by her future father-in-law, who would fly over Ballarat in an airplane and take photos of the township from above.

She would also “carry the bags” for her husband Lloyd, while he photographed weddings and debutante balls.

“It wasn’t until around the nineties that I started photographing those celebrations myself,” she said.

Her appreciation for camerawork has allowed her to travel across the state to judge photographic competitions.

“I usually try to be more positive with my feedback, I like to be a nice judge,” she said.

Now, Ms Harvey has joined the History of Buninyong study group at U3A and has retired from her work at NL Harvey and Sons photo shop alongside her husband.

She shares her photo collections with relevant groups and organisations, as to help preserve and add to the city’s cultural heritage.

“Ballarat is constantly changing. Not many people know that there was a zoo around Lake Wendouree, for example. That’s why I take my photos, it’s very important to me,” she said.