Williamstown Camera Club Celebrates 50 years

To celebrate the Williamstown Camera Club’s 50th birthday, the club will present an exhibition of their members’ photographs during the month of July at the Gallery at the Williamstown Library. Members will be exhibiting their favourite photographs and each image will be accompanied with a portrait of the photographer and a description of their chosen image.

The exhibition is free and runs from 1-31 July 2015. All members of the community are welcome to view the exhibition and learn more about the clubs activities.

The exhibition will be launched on Saturday, 4th July by Hobsons Bay Mayor Colleen Gates and original club founder, Trevor Young. This exhibition has been made possible by a grant from Hobsons Bay City Council.

The club has nearly one hundred active members drawn from suburbs spanning Williamstown, Wyndhamvale, Keilor East and Pascoe Vale.

The Williamstown Camera Club (WCC) was formed in 1965 by Trevor Young. Trevor now resides in Maryborough Victoria and at the ripe old age of eighty-nine remains a life member of the Williamstown Camera Club. He has passed on his love of photography to his children who are also keen photographers.

According to Trevor, the camera club originally evolved amongst the workers at the Naval Dockyard Williamstown but folded due to a lack of interest. Trevor then put an ad in the Williamstown Advertiser calling on interested people to join up.  From this point onwards the club has gone from strength to strength to its current membership. Trevor will be returning to Williamstown to be the guest of honour at the club’s official launch of the exhibition.

With almost 100 active members of varying ages and background, WCC is a friendly and welcoming club. Meetings are held twice a month and there is a range of activities conducted throughout the year. These include weekends away, various hands-on workshops and topic specific competitions. Throughout the history of the club members have been encouraged to enter photographic competitions with guest judges often commenting on the ‘welcoming and friendly’ atmosphere of the club.

The club has many long term members, including Neil Anderson, Margaret Turner, and Joan and Ron Bates, who have been in the club for three or four decades. Joan was given a life membership to recognise all the work she has done for the club.

Over the years the club has moved locations a number of times from its inaugural meeting held at the Welsh Presbyterian Church Hall, Ferguson Street, Williamstown with 36 members attending. The venue changed to the Methodist Church Hall, Pascoe Street and later re-located to a newly renovated building in Electra Street, Williamstown. Later again, it moved to Joan Kirner House in Thompson Street Williamstown. But with the rising popularity of digital photography membership has grown further over the past 4 years and the club has moved to bigger rooms at Walker Close, Altona North.

The Williamstown Camera Club is an affiliate of the Victorian Association of Photographic Societies (VAPS).  The club meets twice a month at Walker Close Community Centre, 180 Millers Road, Altona North.  The Williamstown Camera Club welcomes all members of the public who have a passion for photography.  Come along to one of the meetings as a guest. You might just be a member for the next 50 years!

Trevor Young with one of his photographs. (Photo by James Troi)