New book on the faces of Warrnambool

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brian round corners

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] T [/dropcap]his is Brian Mills and he works nights, or very early mornings, depending on how you measure 4am starts.

Brian is one of a team of people at the Timor St Newsagency in Warrnambool who ensure that the morning newspapers are delivered each day to the doorsteps and businesses of Warrnambool for people who still enjoy reading a physical copy of a newspaper.

It is a job Brian has been doing for more than 25 years and this is why he – as a newspaper delivery man – has been chosen to appear in a photographic book due to be published in the first half of next year that will feature 30 of the iconic people and places of the Warrnambool community.

It is not a history book, nor does it include every well-known Warrnambool identity, but rather it is a personal selection of people and places that meant something to me – Carol – when I was growing up in Warrnambool in the 1970s and which are still a part of the community today, even if only a shadow of their former selves.

kermond round

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] T [/dropcap]here is a deep nostalgia and an inter-connectedness that binds the people of Warrnambool, perhaps more so than most other regional cities, or maybe that is just because other regional cities don’t have a Kermonds, or a Politis fish and chip shop, or a Fletcher Jones gardens, or a Chitticks….you get the picture.

These are the names that have become a part of Warrnambool’s cultural identity and trigger such strong stories and memories – especially if you are sharing them in a bar with another Warrnamboolian you have bumped into somewhere across the world.

There is also a growing awareness, however, that such icons do not last forever (the demolition of the Criterion Hotel, in Kepler St, was a stark reminder of this truth) and this is what inspired me to race around with my camera and do the best job I could to capture the faces – and some of the places – while we still have the chance.

The book is yet to be titled, but it will be limited to just 500 copies, so we will keep you up to date on when it is due to hit the shelves.

In the meantime, if you are a nostalgic Warrnambool person or ex-pat, you can join more than 2500 people just like you at the Lost Warrnambool Facebook page and share memories and some terrific old images. Be sure to let them know Bluestone Magazine sent you!

[box] Our regular Bookmarks by Warrnambool Books will return for our final edition of the year next week, with a list of great Christmas books that add a sparkle to the festive season.[/box]