This post is for those special photos that start off with a good Black and White image, and end up being a super high-class Colorised Photograph.
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In a FaceBook Private Group? Then you won't have a share button.
Please share this story with your family and friends so that they can read about the Rainbow Township, its history, and what it has to offer tourists.
Thank you very much, Don...
The home page of this site covers many subjects plus a lot more.
The Request, The Plan, The future, The Priority, Copyright, Photo ID's, Image Quality, Use your phone as a digital scanner, and Converting from photo slides to digital. All explained on the home page
Now for those featured photos, and what it all means.
Most of the images that I have used on these pages are screen grabs from the Facebook group and historical web sites.
50% of these are what I would call poor quality images that are a photo of a photo, or a photo of a computer screen complete with navigation icons and a nice slant on the image to make conversion a lot more difficult to achieve. Very few are actually a scanned photo.
There has to be a lot of great quality photos hidden and sitting idle in your grand parents belongings.
A single conversion can take anytime from 20-30 minutes to as many hours, and some photos simply don't and won't convert easily to an acceptable standard, so I usually don't display them.
However, a small handful of these images are super special
Why? Not only are they a great black and white image, they also represent historical significance to the history of Rainbow, and are worth while me investing more time into the colourisation process.
I hope to be able to present a new featured photo to this post on a regular basis.
A bridge too far? Help Mick!
Turning a good B&W photo into a great colour image was becoming beyond my meager abilities and what I demanded of myself as a final result for these "featured images."
So I spoke with my friend of 40+ years, Mick Gulovsen. He is about 20 years ahead of me on colour conversion techniques, however I taught him everything he knows about computers about 40 years ago. He helped me fine tune the #3 Flour Mill image, when I was struggling and looking for advice. I wanted to see if we could make it so special, that we could have put Google Street View Icons all over it, and asked viewers "What is wrong with this picture?"
I asked if he was interested in doing a new featured image for me. I then gave him my colour version of #4 The Royal Hotel, a few basic ideas on what the town looked like during those years. I suggested that the rock border in the middle of the street may have been either wood chips or some sort of garden bed. and let him loose on it.
I may be able to con him into doing more for me. The promise of a Senior's steak lunch and a few beers may work.
I have added a credit to the watermark serial number so that our collaboration on these works can be identified.
wizard-of-oz.com 3424-38 DM-MG
Click on any image below to see it in full size.
Featured Photo Number 1 - Station Group 1925.
Posted 13-June-2021
Photo supplied by Don McKenzie
Rainbow station 1925
A large group of people gathered on the platform of Rainbow Railway Station for the visit of the Better Farming Train. Many men are wearing suits, and some wear white coats (possibly 'lab-coats') over their clothes. A man standing on the far left is wearing a station staff uniform. An advertising poster is mounted on the platform fence.
Featured Photo Number 2 - Pre-1910 Federal St.
Posted 14-June-2021
Photo supplied by Don McKenzie
I chased this photo around in circles for months, and finally settled on a suitable description.
RAINBOW OF TO-DAY. 1910 page 9, gives an incorrect description:
Another good view, showing the Rainbow Manufacturing Co.'s commodious and well equipped general store. But Dawson's Rainbow Manufacturing Co. was in Railway St, round about where Ron Ismay's business is now.
Stan Fisher gives it as Federal St 1912, in his Autobiography "Team Work" but only the year is wrong. As Stan was only 2 years and four months old when the buildings burnt down, I'll accept that he was mid-guided with the year.
Featured Photo Number 3 - The Old Flour Mill.
Posted 26-June-2021
Photo supplied by Bronnie Hellyer Wallis
Thank you so much for providing this original B&W photograph to add to the colourised collection.
As photos of the old Flour-Mill of any quality are very scarce, I decided to spend a bit more time colourising this image. Gordon Gebert and Ossie Paech demolished the chimney in 1966 and the bricks were used for the majority of a nearby house.
You will see the red brick Chimney is colour matched to the house that Gordon Gebert built from these recycled bricks.
It sounds like many kids in town got to clean those bricks (at reduced labour prices), before my Uncle Colin McKenzie laid them.
Featured Photo Number 4 - Royal Hotel 1912.
Posted 27-June-2021
Photo supplied by Don McKenzie
Place & Date Depicted: Young's Royal Hotel, Rainbow, Victoria, Australia, post 1912.
Mrs Elnor Jamieson built a Kenmare wine saloon in 1894. The licence was eventually shifted to Rainbow in 1906, and became the Rainbow Royal hotel.
All of Rainbow's 3 hotels were initially built single story, and upgraded to double story at a later date. In their single story versions, the Royal was a timber building and the other two were stone or brick. All would have been completely rebuilt.
Featured Photo Number 5 - Old Mill House.
Posted 29-June-2021
Photo supplied by Kevin J Wallis
I gave the quality of this image about 4 out of 10. Not a good spot to start if you wanted to colourise an image. However Mick decided to give this one a go. He just went ahead and did it. I didn't ask.
Mick:
It is a shocking picture. Do you have a better scan?
Readers may be polarised on this image. Possibly either love it or hate it. I'm not taking bets. But here it is regardless. It certainly is a very different slant on our previous colour conversions.
Please leave any comments at the bottom of this post.
The circle in the photo is a post stamp mark. I thought it was a coin, as I have seen photos tossed into old tins with old coins, and this has been the result.
Don McKenzie
This is the house that was owned by the mill. In the 1950s, it was occupied by Cheryl's Uncle Jack and Aunty Doll (Hutchins) Cashill when Jack worked for the mill. I believe it was when the mill closed, the family moved onto Murtoa. You can see the Mill chimney just next to the second house chimney.
Much more info at the link below.
Featured Photo Number 6 - Eureka Hotel Early 1900s.
Posted 30-June-2021
Photo supplied by Don McKenzie
I distinctly remember being in the main bar of the Eureka hotel Rainbow on two very special occasions. On Tuesday 1st February 1966, Victorian hotel hours were extended to 10pm, the end of six o’clock closing. I was working for my Uncle Joe (L.G.) McKenzie at the time, and most of Joe's men are in the bar wondering what would take place after six o'clock. Minnie Draper just kept serving the beers, instead of the usual cry of "time gentlemen please". Most of us kept drinking that night until we got the boot at 10pm.
After that night, there was no sense staying back drinking till all hours. The novelty was gone, and we had to get back to our normal routine. Then about two weeks later on Monday 14 February 1966, Valentine's Day, the price of a seven ounce glass of beer went from a Shilling to ten cents. Funny money. One and two cent pieces. What do we do with them? Decimal currency. It all looked very strange. I am wondering who may still be in town that remembers these two days. I see Keith and Frank Thomas are still out and about, ask them. They should remember.
Featured Photo Number 7 - The Old 1930s Rainbow Cafe.
Final Image
Cafe Original Image
Posted 10-July-2021
Photo supplied by Ally Harper.
I gave the quality of this image about a 5 out of 10. A reasonable position to be in. I knew what it meant as a town Icon. This is where I met my wife Cheryl.
We spent more time on this photo than we have done on any other. You can check out the story by clicking on the green link button below.
Please leave any comments at the bottom of this post.
Featured Photo Number 8 - Pella Church 1911.
Posted 23-July-2021
Photo supplied by Jan Edelston.
The opening of St John’s Pella Lutheran church, 14 May 1911.
I straightened the image to be level with the ground and kept the cross and flagpole in the shot.
Rear of Photograph.
Featured Photo Number 9 - Rainbow Railway Station 1920s.
Posted 1-Aug-2021
Photo Don McKenzie.
Date 1920s
Mick Gulovsen finished this one off nicely by finding the original advertising sign on the platform, restoring it, then matching it in to suit.
Featured Photo Number 10 - Single Story Commonwealth Hotel.
Posted 20-August-2021
Colourised by Mick Gulovsen
Text has been preserved and rotated.
A very rare postcard view of Ryan's Commonwealth Hotel (Top Pub) as a single-story timber building. Possibly 1908 (tree height)
Railway and Federal Streets Rainbow.
Featured Photo Number 11 - Commonwealth Hotel 1935.
Posted 17-Sep-2021
Photo Robert Long.
Date 1935
This is a treasured photo of the Commonwealth Hotel in 1935, (top pub) that "WAS NOT" destroyed by fire, but was pulled down by Ginna Wallis in 1959.
Dawn Petschel passed this photo on to Robert Long, who not only placed it on his PC as his desktop image, (or was that his screen saver?) but also used it as the main profile image on his Facebook page.
I used this image to create a colour version back in April 2021, when I first starting doing this conversion work.
Then I decided to get it updated somewhat by asking my Good friend Mick Gulovsen to do a featured image on it with his special skills.
A serious problem with ADMIN and membership.
1-October 2021
This reference is for the "Rainbow the Famous Australian Town" Facebook Group ADMIN only.
By comparison, the "Darwin History" Facebook Group ADMIN have been extremely receptive and helpful. Population of 683 verses 123K. Go figure.
Updated 26-Aug-2021
I believe the reason ADMIN removed my post about the "Yellow Brick Road" was because they didn't like the idea. At least I had an idea, be it good or bad. It was placed there for group discussion. I guess ADMIN don't understand what that means.
AND when was the last time ADMIN "liked" one of my posts? Month and Year? I should give a prize for closest to the pin.
How many Websites do we need about Rainbow? As many as you can get if you are trying to promote tourism Catherine!
I guess my Rainbow Tourism encouragement award is having my Website canned, and my friends blacklisted.
Updated 7-Aug-2021
The situation is getting really ridiculous.
I am now video grabbing threads so I can fill Mick Gulovsen in on what others are saying about his work on these colour photos.
If you want to support myself, Mick, Rainbow Tourism, and this site, please do one of two things.
1) Tell ADMIN directly what you think.
or
2) Send Mick Gulovsen an invite to join the group. Perhaps if they get enough requests, they will wake up that we are trying to promote Rainbow tourism.
Updated 26-July-2021
How would you like it if you posted to the Facebook Group, and ADMIN was deleting your messages?
Not just a question about checking membership requests, but complete threads!
ADMIN has Removed this complete thread: 26-July-2021
My suggestion of the "Yellow Brick Road". Posted 18-June-2021
Posted 17-July-2021
My good friend Mick is now collaborating with me on the colourisation of the old Rainbow photos. Most of the colour images on this page are his work.
He would like to see the fruits of his labour, and possibly join in the chats regarding selection of colours, etc., so he applied to join as a member back in June 2021, of the "RtFAT" FB group, and I have sent him invites, however he hasn't been approved to date.
And guess what?
Every time I ask in the group, my messages vanish.
They are not going to approve him. It it is pretty obvious. They don't even know him. So he is blacklisted.
To date I have been very careful to be respectful of the ADMIN group, and given them the benefit of the doubt. But I am changing my mind.
Mick: "What's going on? Why won't they let me join"?
He later states: "Why should I put in my time into a group of people that don't want me?".
Below is a single example of a post on the 15-July-2021, that vanished within the hour. I wait until I get a "like" as proof of posting, then I grab a screen shot.
Many of my posts simply vanish. The last two have.
I posted Llew's Silo story just after those two that vanished, and it is still there.
They don't have to "like" it.
My posts on membership questions vanish within minutes, and never over an hour.
Yet they can't click a button that approves a new member, that has answered their questions correctly.
Fortunately, I have recorded screen shots of all of these incidents, as well as Facebook Messenger chats on every message I have ever sent or received, right back to the days when I was an ADMIN of this very group, and set up their first ADMIN chat group. I also re-wrote the membership questions for Jenni Dunn, the original owner of the group.
Case Number Two. The Fire Brigade Member.
Back in May 2021, I had trouble joining up an ex-Fire Brigade Member from the 1960s. He is now in his late 70s, with serious health issues, and was hoping to get a little bit of enjoyment out of the Facebook Group. He now wonders why he bothered if he isn't welcome.
He came to me seeking assistance.
I wrote to three out of three ADMINs and got zero responses back.
How do you negotiate with people that won't even talk to you?
Fortunately the Fire Brigade member was joined up after my last message to the last ADMIN person.
I will leave Sandie out of this group, as I have never had a message exchange with her, or seen her involved in any ADMIN duties.
It appears that everything I am trying to build is being destroyed from within.
It looks like I have lost Mick because of their actions, and I am reviewing my future posts to the group. I just don't get it! Can anyone explain it to me?
Please ADMINs, just do your job. Is that too much to ask?
These are genuine people that want to join the group, and get some enjoyment out of it. If you hate me for some reason fine, but don't blacklist people just because they are friends of mine.
I know all ADMINs are hard working, leaders in our communities, and above all, love Rainbow, so why is this taking place? I thought we were all on the same team.
Don...
In a FaceBook Private Group? Then you won't have a share button.
Please share this story with your family and friends so that they can read about the Rainbow Township, its history, and what it has to offer tourists.
Thank you very much, Don...