F Is For Fremantle

Did The Earth Move For You?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Sometimes a tiny fragment of a huge view in front of you catches your eye and seems to cry out "Concentrate on me". That’s pretty much what happened here. We were in Fremantle, Western Australia, for a few hours last month for a family wedding.

The ceremony was over and I’d just parked the rental car as we walked across a park to slake our thirst – and there was a lot of thirst to slake - before the reception began.

It was a scorching afternoon, with the temperature around 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and there I was (remember, I am definitely a cold-climate bloke) in a suit and tie, trying to find some shade as we walked down this street. But I guess my photography radar was still working well, because I shot about a dozen frames as we hurried down the footpath.

This was the last frame I shot and I guess this view arrested my attention because of several factors. There was the ochre wall meeting the blue wall. There was the plethora of signs, all different colours and shapes. There were the three arrows, each pointing in different directions. There was the silvery light pole adorned with a single, slim piece of red tape. There were the strong shadows on the wall and across the window.

I shot this as I walked, without breaking stride – because lagging behind your clan members on a wedding day is not the smartest thing to do.


Later, during the reception at the historic Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery, I spotted this great sign (above) in the walkway leading through to the courtyard. It was only when I got back home to Melbourne that I was able to research the history of the building, which gets its name from the nineteenth-century general merchant store belonging to William Dalgety Moore.

History held absolutely no attraction for me when I was in school, yet now that I am an adult it holds me in a magnetic thrall. Whenever I see an object that I photograph, I am drawn to know its story.

This narrow passageway in the Moores Building would have felt the weight of many pairs of boots since the early gold rush days. Being a general store, the place would have been extremely busy as the locals stocked up alongside the seafarers who took on supplies for their long voyages away from the colony.

Now the passageway leads from the gallery and reception centre to a beautiful yard. It may be a floor with a flaw, but I’m sure it could tell us thousands of great tales. There would have been tales of commerce, of adventure, of noble endeavour, of hopes and aspirations, of dreams, of sober reality and (I’m sure) some hilarious moments far removed from sobriety.

The Moore, the merrier.

Extra, extra, read all about it: I've been interviewed here. Thank you to all those who have already followed this link and checked out the interview. There have been so many wonderful comments and votes that I've tried to reply to each one personally - but you're setting a cracking pace. My humble and heartfelt thanks to all of you for the wonderful tributes and thoughts you have shared on the interview.


For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.