Rev. Dr. Frank Cash was Rector of Christ Church, Lavender Bay from 1922 until 1964, and a keen photographer. He took hundreds of photographs of the Sydney Harbour Bridge throughout its construction, and was the only amateur photographer permitted to go onto the building site.
Rev. Cash’s cameras, lantern slide projector and enlarging device are also in the custody of the Samuel Marsden Archives, as well as two nickel-plated rivets which were given to him by the construction company in appreciation for his photographic work.
His photographic collection contains all of these images in various formats, including film and glass plate negatives, prints and lantern slides. A small number of these slides have been digitised and are now available on Myrrh. They show the destruction of houses in Milson’s Point to make way for the northern approaches, the growth of the arch and the first section of the decking, and the completed bridge with its lights reflected in the harbour below. We hope to have more images digitised in the near future. They have often been requested for publication by historians and the media.
Dr Cash’s photographs include images of his family: his wife Violet Elizabeth, his son John who joined the RAAF and was killed in action in 1941, and three daughters Mary, Miriam and Elizabeth. He took many pictures of trees, native animals and rock formations, particularly around the Glen Innes area, the Blue Mountains and inside Jenolan Caves. Additionally, there are a small number of photos of the Fairbridge Farm School for child migrants in Molong, WA, and construction work at the Shore School in 1963.
